5 Simple Prayers (That Can Change Your Life)Sample

#2: Simple Prayer of Gratitude

Thank you is a simple yet powerful prayer. If you are in a tight spot, if things aren't going the way you want them to, when things have come completely undone, getting grateful is the game changer.

God knew we would go through hard times. This is why he gave us the gift of gratitude. Gratitude changes us--even if our circumstances have not changed.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminds us to Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Too often, we get caught up in what we don't have or how things didn't go how we hoped, planned, prayed, or expected.

By giving thanks in all circumstances, the good, the bad, the ones we wish we weren't in, we are changing our viewpoint from an earthly human view to a heavenly one. And though God's ways will always remain higher than ours, when we start looking through the lenses of gratitude and eternity, the things that have gone wrong suddenly lose their power over us.

The enemy would like you to focus on lack, trouble, that looming mountain, or the giant in front of you. But the work that Jesus did on the cross means that we can tell that lack about our abundant life Jesus came to give us (John 10:10), and we can tell the mountain or giant to move (Matthew 17:20).

A simple thank you for all the Lord has done for you up to this point can change your attitude and turn your day around. God sent his son as the ultimate gift for us--if he didn't do one other thing, that extravagant gift is more than enough.

Action: List or journal ten things you are grateful for today. When you start looking for something to be thankful for, suddenly, you find even more.

Simple Prayer of Gratitude: Father God, thank you for this day! Thank you for waking me up, filling my lungs with air, and giving me another chance to do this day how you want me to. Help me notice every beauty around me that you created just for us. Thank you for the gift of your son, Jesus! I love you, in Jesus' name, amen.