1 Thessalonians 5:18 “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

This verse has been rattling around in my head for a few days now so I feel I must share it again.  I have many people that I pray for every day and if I look at my prayer journal filling up it could be harder to be thankful.  Here are some of the prayers I have and how I try to be thankful under their circumstances:  Several people have gone through treatment of cancer, I am thankful they have survived and are thriving again.  One person is incarcerated, I am thankful he is in the United States where the prisons system takes such good care of its inmates comparing to almost anywhere else in the world.  People are suffering medical issues of various types, I am thankful we have stellar medical technology at our fingertips.  I pray for many who mourn the loss of loved ones and I am thankful that they have friends and family to support and uphold them on the hard and sad days.  The youth in our church have started writing gratitude journals and I hope that through this process they will learn at some level to give thanks in all circumstances.  As we all know, sometimes it is much easier said than done. 

Lord,

We come to you with our hearts laid open.  You know the heartaches, the concerns, the burdens we bring.  You know the joys and the celebrations we carry as well.  Help us see through your eyes so no matter what we are going through we are able to give thanks to you through Christ.  Amen.