I pray all the time. I can’t imagine living without praying. I love absolutely love to commune with God. I love to pray to Him, to seek Him, to cry out to Him, and yes, admittedly, I love to BEG HIM. When I’m desperate, the Lord knows. I have been known to really, really, really BEG God in prayer. But this message isn’t about begging God. It’s a warning NOT to do what sometimes I do after I pray to the Lord.
Take, for instance, this morning when I was bent down on the ground changing paralyzed ministry dog Miss Mercy’s diaper. Yesterday I BEGGED God to heal the mild back problem I have had over days past. Caring for a paralyzed dog, including lifting her, can be a challenge with a back issue. So can walking which I LOVE to do because that’s my favorite time to spend in God’s presence praying, seeking Him, praising, worshiping, hearing Him, etc. So know what happened as I knelt down on the ground? I realized God had made my back a zillion times better, and I remembered to THANK HIM!
Here comes the warning. I can’t tell you how many times I have BEGGED God for something but then when He answered my cries FORGOTTEN TO THANK HIM! We SHOULD NOT FORGET TO THANK GOD! We should remember to thank Him!
It’s not that I don’t believe God is worthy of my Thanksgiving 24-7 forever, mind you. It’s just that sometimes I just plain old forget. And that’s not very loving, is it? I believe in our love for and Thanksgiving to God we should make a big point of remembering to say THANK YOU LORD and to PRAISE HIM FOREVERMORE!
“Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.” 1 Chron. 29:10-13 KJV