Out of the Fire
Practical Insights for the Passionate Christian
Lee Ann Rubsam
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Out of the FirePractical Insights for the Passionate Christian |
Lee Ann Rubsam |
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Thanksgiving: Gateway to Answered PrayerThere are many Bible verses that talk about thanksgiving. We all know that we are supposed to thank God for Who He is and for all that He does for us. Sometimes we might feel a little guilty, knowing we don't always remember to thank Him as we should. Thanksgiving brings glory to Him: "... that the abundant grace might, through the thanksgiving of many, redound to the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 4:15). But God has been showing me another dimension of thanksgiving, beyond it being our proper response to God's goodness: Scripture clearly links thankfulness with prayer, as we shall see. I'm not talking about thanking Him once the desired answer shows up on our doorstep. Of course we should do that. I'm talking about thanking Him before the answer arrives. There is a reason this makes sense. Philippians 4:6, 7 tells us, "Do not be care-filled about anything; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." This verse is not only referring to thanking God for past answers or in a general way for His goodness. Some people do that as a sort of ritual, to butter God up so that He will answer their current prayer. That's not sincere, and I have an idea that it grieves Father's heart. (How would you feel if your children cozied up to you and gushed all over you, just so they could get something out of you?) Now, when I am petitioning God for things, I do thank Him for all His past faithfulness and for His goodness -- but it is out of true gratefulness, not to hoodwink Him into giving me the next item that I want or need. And it builds my faith to remind myself of past answered prayer, too. Philippians 4:6 is actually talking about thanking Him for the current thing we are requesting. Why would we do that, if we haven't gotten it yet? 1 John 5:14, 15 gives us a clue: "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. and if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." We thank Him because the answer is already ours the very moment we ask -- even though it may take a little time to evidence itself in our natural realm. We have confidence that He has heard and has answered, because He promised that if we would ask anything in His name, He would do it for us (John 14:13, 14). We thank Him because our answer is already a reality. Apostle Paul clearly linked prayer and thanksgiving together, in Colossians 4:2: "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving." When praying in tongues, we are thanking God in the spirit. And when teaching on speaking in tongues, Paul had this to say: "... When you bless with the spirit, how shall he who is unlearned say 'Amen' to your giving of thanks, seeing he does not understand what you are saying? For you truly give thanks well, but the other is not edified" (1 Corinthians 14:16, 17). When we speak in tongues, whether publicly or in private prayer, thanksgiving is at least part of what we are speaking. When we use our prayer language as part of our petitioning, the Holy Spirit is releasing perfect prayers through us (see Romans 8:26, 27 and also my blog series, The Power of Your Prayer Language). Much of what He is praying through us is thanksgiving, and although we cannot say for sure, it is highly possible that the thanksgiving we are thus sending heavenward is in connection with our current petition. Jesus used thanksgiving as a gateway to getting His prayers answered. While teaching me about the thanksgiving-prayer connection, the Holy Spirit showed me something I had never seen before, in the Bible story of the multiplication of the five loaves and two fish, found in John 6. I discovered that Jesus released thanksgiving as a means of receiving answers to prayer. The concept is hidden away in what may appear to be an insignificant detail. John 6:11 tells us, "And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them who had sat down; and likewise of the fish as much as they wanted." We know the story: five thousand men, plus women and children, were fed, and twelve baskets were left over. The story seems to end there. John moves on to tell about Jesus going up into a mountain to pray and then walking on the water in the middle of the night. But look at John 6:23, a seemingly insignificant explanation of how the multitudes found Jesus the next day: "However, other boats came from Tiberias near to the place where they had eaten bread, after the Lord had given thanks." Why did John mention that last phrase at all? Because the concept of thanksgiving as a gateway to answers is there. Five thousand men, plus women and children, were fed with five loaves and two fish after Jesus released His faith for the miracle through giving thanks to His Father. Yes, He gave thanks out of a grateful heart for the food He had to work with -- but He also was giving thanks for what God was about to do. His prayer request was linked with His thanksgiving. Applying the thanksgiving truth: May I suggest that if the answers to your prayers are not flowing in as you would like them to, that thanksgiving may be the missing component -- the peg that needs to be put in place to secure the needed result? Yes, thank the Lord for all that He has already done for you, but add to that your confident thanksgiving that He has heard your current request and has sent the answer in response. Keep thanking Him that it is already done until you see that answer materialize -- and then thank Him again when you do see it. As you keep yourself in the place of anticipatory thanksgiving, your spiritual eyes will begin to see with certainty what your natural eyes do not yet behold. Your faith and joy will rise to new levels, and you will be at peace while you are waiting for your results to appear. Fretting and unhappiness about your situation will subside. It won't always be easy. Now, you may face some spiritual opposition while attempting to keep the position of thankfulness. A basic truth of the Christian life is that when we come into new understanding of any of the treasures God has for us and begin to apply them, we will be confronted and tested concerning them. As you move into leveraging thanksgiving to receive answers to prayer, the enemy will see to it that circumstances arise that greatly challenge your desire and determination to maintain a heart of thanksgiving. At times it may be hard to see that there is anything to be thankful for. This is just part of what happens anytime we move into the greater things of God. Press through anyway. Don't give up. You will receive your answers. © Copyright 2011 by Lee Ann Rubsam. All rights reserved. |
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