Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4 v 6 NLV
Comment
Paul’s advice on prayer is to mix our requests with thanksgiving. This has 2 effects on us:
- It builds our faith that God will answer us, because he has been kind in the past
- It builds the relationship: God knows we appreciate his help and we avoid taking him for granted and becoming self-centred.
Will the same effects follow if we mix thanks in to the requests we make of our partner? OR do we have an internal dialogue going on:
- He never listens
- I can never please her enough!!
Let’s try it? Start by thanking God together for each other. Then ask the Holy Spirit to inspire us with a thankful heart.
Prayer (as a couple)
Father, thank you for giving us to each other as help mates. So Lord, help us be generous with our help. Holy Spirit, help us to see what the other one does for us and for the family. Give us creative ways of responding with appreciation. Help us notice when we are being negative, and help us not to complain about each other Amen
Prayer (for others)
Lord, You call us as your church to be a light in the world. We are sad that Christians seem to have got a name for being negative and critical. Lord, help us to buck the trend.
We pray that in our homes and families we may be thankful for each other and appreciative of each other’s gifts and how we help each other, We pray particularly for the families of church leaders:
- May they live in the atmosphere of your love.
- May we be supportive and prayerful.
Amen
Final quote
Saying thank you often: the best antidote to the venom of moaning
