Photo by Marco Palumbo on Unsplash

We associate giving thanks with Thanksgiving Day, but it is meant to be a year-round offering to God.

God invites us to bring our requests to Him. Here are some prayer requests from young children:

“Please help me to NEVER go the dentist.”

“Please help us to have pancakes in the morning.”

“Please bless that we won’t crash when we’re driving.”

“Please bless that the girls won’t try to kiss me at recess anymore.” 

When we pray to God, we often rush in with our requests. “Give me, give me, give me.” God longs to bless us, but without gratitude and a relationship with Him, we probably sound like entitled youth.

What if we began with gratitude and praise? What if we began remembering who God is and what He’s done for us instead of starting with what we want from Him?

You could begin with praise such as, “God, you are the Creator, our heavenly Father, loving, and forgiving.”

Need help with the gratitude part? Look around you on an outdoor walk. Listen to the bedtime prayers offered by young children in their own words.

“I’m thankful for this beautiful world that Jesus has created for us to live on.”

“I’m thankful for my cat that lets me dress him in my clothes.”

“Thank you for loving us even though we make mistakes.”

 I personally thank God for the way He formed our family despite a decade of infertility. I thank Him for helping us in so many ways during the years my husband battled cancer. He didn’t take us out of the situation but brought us through hard times.

Gratitude is a choice. David said, “I will give thanks to the Lord . . . I will sing praise to the Lord Most High” (Psalm 7:17). When we express gratitude regardless of our feelings or circumstances, our focus shifts to God and sometimes our attitude changes.

Colossians 3:16 tells us to sing with gratitude in our hearts. Old hymns such as “How Great Thou Art” and “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” and more recent songs such as “Indescribable” and “Abundantly More,” can stir thankfulness.

I also recommend Ann Voskamp’s book One Thousand Gifts in which she encourages readers to look at everyday blessings and begin a journey of thankfulness.

We can be thankful for material blessings such as our home, food, family, job, transportation, and money to pay our bills.

We can also be thankful for spiritual blessings.

• For God’s Son Jesus who reconciled us to God
• For the resurrection of Christ and His power in the everyday life of the believer
• For God’s wonderful deeds
• For His ever-present help in trouble
• For His forgiveness
• For freeing us from guilt and shame
• For the fact that God can satisfy our desires with good things
• For His Word
• For confidence in God because He is always trustworthy
• For abundant and eternal life
• For Hope

If you’re not sure you believe in God or if He seems distant and unconcerned, begin your search by looking for God’s fingerprints. You’ll soon see ample evidence of Him at work.

Gratitude can displace worry and decrease anxiety. The Bible says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). God offers His calming peace.

When God rescues us from a crisis, our response is relief and gratitude. As time goes by, we can grow complacent and forget what God has done for us. Our gratitude dries up.

That’s what happened to the Israelites. They had just witnessed a miracle, the parting of the Red Sea, the drowning of Pharaoh’s army, and their rescue from slavery. Not long after, they worshiped a golden calf instead of waiting on the one true God. Though they were miserable in Egypt as slaves, they whined that they were better off in those days.

Studying gratitude is good, but Eugene Peterson in The Message says, “Schools out; quit studying the subject and start living it!” (Colossians 2:6-7) We tend to remember behavior that we practice until it forms a habit. Are you practicing gratitude to God and to others?

As I count my blessings, I’m often distracted. It’s like I have ADD when I pray. Recording my blessings improves my focus. In heaven at the throne, the angels offer unending thanksgiving and praise—as it should be! (Rev 4:9)

As we begin to comprehend God’s extravagant, unfailing love for us, our gratitude bubbles up and overflows. “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever” (Psalm 107:1).

Note: The kid quotes are from “Sometimes Kids Say the Funniest and Most Profound Things in Prayer” (YouTube).