10.29.13

Psalm 100:4-5 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise.  Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

My Thoughts
Recently a few dear friends and I attended at Ladies Retreat, two of my sweet friends went to a class on prayer.  One of the things they told to me that they learned was that we needed to start our prayers with thanks....then with praise...then our request. I loved the idea. A few days later I was talking with another friend of mine that reminded me of this very verse.  The basis for first giving thanks, then praise, then petition.  I knew then that I had been going about my prayers all wrong.  Not that prayers to God could be wrong, but there was a better way to go about praying the prayers that I pray. 

I must share with you that when we do things God's way, oh the joy!!  I have been practicing this way of praying now for several weeks. It is amazing... somehow I very seldom get past the thanks and the praise.  Only if I have prayer needs for others do I seem to get past the thanks and the praise.  The amazing thing is, my needs and my wants are being met abundantly these days.  Because I am being thankful, and praising God, He seems to be showering down blessings so much that I just seem to be tripping over them.  Then guess what happens!!  I have more thank you's to send up...and more praise to send up...and I never get around to the "can I have's."

As I sit here an write these words, God is telling me, "See Jeannie, I love you so much and all that I ask is that you love me back."  When we quit loving God for what He can do for us, and we start loving God because He is God, amazing things begin to happen in our lives.  When we quit telling God what we need, God has time to look down and see our needs...and His vision is so much clearer  and so much bigger than ours is!! When we let go and let God, as the saying goes, God can do so much more for us than we can think to imagine. 

Feeling so very blessed that God cares so much for me that He gives me such wonderful knowledge in such simple ways.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, GOD!