Monday, March 3, 2014

What Happens When God, Answers by Evelyn Christenson

Have a Thankful Heart

Page 175

What happens when God answers?  The ultimate, final response on our part should be to thank Him.  No matter how God has answered our prayer, the one thing He expects from us is thankfulness.

People tend to insert their thanksgiving at different places in the prayer process.  Some never bother to thank God no matter how great and wonderful the answers He sends.  Most people but not all, are thankful when God answers the way they requested and has given them what they wanted.  Then, some Christians have matured enough spiritually to thank Him in spite of how He has answered, trusting His divine wisdom.

But the Bible has an even greater requirement as to where the thanksgiving belongs in the whole prayer process.  Philippians 4:6, surprisingly, reads, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be hade unto God” (NASE. emphasis mine).

I love this same verse in the Living Bible Translation.  I have it written and framed in my office.  It says, “Don’t worry about anything.  Pray about everything.  Tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. 

I am not supposed to worry about anything.  I should pray about everything.  I need to tell God my needs AND THEN  DON’T FORGET TO THANK HIM FOR HIS ANSWERS.

I am guilty of forgetting to thank God for his answers.  I wonder how he feels when he answers my prayers and I do not even thank him. 

I can relate this to my own children.  If they ask me for something and then I get it for them, how would I feel if they did not even thank me?  I would feel sad.  I would feel like they were using me.  I would feel like they don’t even care about me.

God, of course, is more loving than I am, but I wonder how he feels when I forget to thank him for his answers.  This is a wake-up call for me.  How could I ever forget to thank God for answers to my prayers? 

This has been an incredible life changing book.  It took me awhile to go through it because God was speaking change to me through Evelyn’s words. 

Thank you, Dear God for the life of Evelyn Christenson.  The learning that she has shared through all of her books has allowed me to learn the easier way, through her words and not as much living it.  There are so many treasures in this book that will change my life foever.  Thank you Evelyn!

Well, this truly has been an incredible Journey for me.  I have read all of Evelyn’s books, except two of them.  It has taken me through all of 2013 and so far in 2014.  I am going to miss my Journeys with Evelyn, but she truly has been my inspiration and motivation to follow what the words of the Bible tell me.  She was my mentor while she lived on this earth and still is my mentor from Heaven.  Praise God.

The next book I will be reading will be Battling the Prince of Darkness, Rescuing Captives from Satan’s Kingdom.  I plan to read this book in one week because I will not be available to read for a few weeks.  So, I will be posting my thoughts about this book daily for one week, beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, March 5th.     

I want to finish my incredible Journey with Evelyn during April, the most important time of year when we remember how much God loved us.  Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter reminds us of God's great love.  Praying God’s Way during this time is not how I planned to end my Incredible Journey with Evelyn, but how appropriate.  God is so good.

Then, for the month of April, 1, 8, 15, 22, & 29.  I will be posting every Tuesday as I read through the whole book, Praying God’s Way.  It will be sad for my Incredible Journey to end, but in many ways all I have learned will be just beginning in my life. 
 
 
 

 

 

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