1 Thing I’ve Forgotten to Give Thanks For
Each night I pull the covers over my daughter’s shoulders, brush the hair from her forehead, and kneel beside her bed to pray. In my typical fashion, I begin by thanking the Lord for all our many blessings.
Thank You we had a good day. Thank You for our family, for our friends, for our school, for our home, for our food, for our clothes, for our opportunities . . .
After I list all the things we are grateful for, I usually shift to all our prayer requests. I list the things we need or want from God, requesting He act or give on our behalf—always ending in amen before she drifts off to sleep.
Another woman’s story
Because of this routine, I was intrigued when I read the story of another woman who kneeled before the Lord and presented her requests on behalf of her children. The book of Matthew records the mother of James and John coming to Jesus, kneeling down before Him, and asking a favor (Matthew 20).
When Jesus asked her, “What is it you want?” she requested that her sons sit at the right and left of Him when He is on the throne. As a mother who wants the best for her children, this bold request struck a chord with me, but what my Bible commentary had to say about this incident struck an even bigger chord. The commentary writer stated that “the mother gave Jesus worship, but her real motive was to get something from Him (NIV Life Application Study Bible).”
Checking my own motives
Goodness. Does this convict you like it does me? While I know God wants us to talk to Him and present our requests, I wonder if the purpose of my kneeling is to get something from Him, too. What are my motives when I approach Him? Am I too praising God only for what He has done for me or will do for me rather than simply for who He is? Regrettably, my answer is yes, but thankfully this can change.
Psalm 106 gives us a beautiful example of how to combine our praise for what God has done with our praise for Who He is. The author writes, “Give thanks for the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord or fully declare His praise?”
Thanks for Who God Is
While I’m well aware that the list of all He’s done for us could go on into perpetuity, I’m even more aware that even if He never did another thing for us, His sacrifice on the cross was more than enough. But I also think we are missing it if we only give thanks for His works. We should also be mindful of giving our gratitude for His attributes and character.
When we think about this idea in the context of our own lives, don’t we too want to be praised for who we are and not what we do? The same goes for the people in our lives. They want to be loved simply for who they are rather than what they do. And so does the Lord. Just as we should not have a relationship with someone solely to benefit from them, we should not love the Lord only to get something from Him.
After all, that is how God lovingly responds to us. Upon creation, He called humanity good before we did anything (Genesis 1). He saved us by grace, not asking us to do anything to earn it. It’s unconditional love, not based on what is done or deserved.
So the next time we kneel before Him in worship may we fully declare His praise. May we worship Him for who He is because hallowed is His name (Luke 11).
Would you kneel and bow with me in prayer?
Thank You, Lord, for all You’ve done and, more importantly, for Who You are. I praise You as my Comforter, Healer, Sustainer, Protector, Friend, Savior, Father, King, and Lord. I praise You because You are sovereign, merciful, compassionate, capable, strong, gracious, generous, forgiving, powerful, and loving.
My words don’t do You justice, but Lord, You never expected that they would. Thank You for loving me for who I am, and help me extend Your love to the people in my life for simply being who they are as well. It is in Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Meet Rachael Adams
Rachael Adams is a writer, speaker and host of the Love Offering podcast. Her heart’s desire is to encourage women to realize their God given purpose and embolden them to move into the world through compassionate action. Rachael and her husband live in Kentucky with their two children. Connect with her online at rachaelkadams.com or on social media @rachaeladamsauthor.
Where to find her . . .
Begin Within is a series to inspire a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only your own life, but the lives of your neighbors as well. Gratitude is a theme we talk about often around here because it ties so closely into other missional living rhythms. Practicing gratitude reminds to keep our hearts soft and expectant and our eyes open. Therefore, the more we embrace gratitude, the easier it becomes to truly see our neighbors and where we can join what God is already doing in our neighborhoods.
My vision for this gratitude series is to help others embrace a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only their own life, but the lives of their neighbors as well.
If you would like to contribute to Begin Within, you can find the submission guidelines here.
Creating Ripples
If you would like to cultivate rhythms in addition to gratitude that will empower you live on mission in your neighborhood, check out Cultivating a Missional Life: A 30-Day Devotional to Gently Help You Open Your Heart, Home, and Life to Your Neighbors. This small book will help you make a big impact in your neighborhood as you learn to let missional living flow from the inside out. Get the 30-day missional living challenge free when you purchase the book.
