The Power of GratitudeSample

Day 5: Thanks for What You're Going to Do

Thanking God for what He has done in our lives requires humility. Thanking Him for what He will do requires faith. Faith is the certainty of what is not yet seen. To thank God for what He will do is to live confidently knowing that although we do not understand everything, we do know that God is with us always, that He is in control, and that His will is good, pleasant, and perfect.

There are things we can control and others that we cannot control. We put those things we cannot control in God's hands and thank Him because we trust that we are His children and He cares for us. In order to achieve this, we need faith, otherwise we will live our present life with doubts about what may happen in the future. When we thank God for what He will do, we not only confess our faith in Him, but also remind ourselves that God is in control.

When David confronted Goliath, he did so without knowing if he was going to lose his life or not. He simply tried to do what his heart told him was the right thing to do and had the faith that the same God who had delivered him from the bear and the lion was the same God who would give him the victory over Goliath. The same thing happened to Daniel when he was thrown to the lions, and to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—who were thrown into a furnace. Jesus gave up His life with the confidence that God would resurrect Him on the third day. Moses extended the rod without knowing what would happen. Noah built the ark with the confidence that God was in control of his future. The widow of Zarephath obeyed the prophet and served him first, without knowing what would happen next. All these people had one thing in common: they had faith that God was in control of their futures. When we have no confidence in what God will do in our lives, we doubt, and when we doubt, anything can rob us of our peace. We also lose focus or make decisions based on fear.

Gratitude is the perfect tool to maintain your trust and a right heart before God. Today is a good day to thank God for what He will do in your life. Some things will come out better than you expected and others won't, but you can be sure that God will always be with you.

Reflection  

• “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 ESV).

Prayer

Father, I come before You thanking You for what You will do in my life. Thank You because Your thoughts are higher than mine and Your will is pleasant and perfect. My trust is placed in You because Your favor and Your love have sustained me.