Before His Presence With Thanksgiving

Oh come, let us sing to the LORD!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the LORD is the great God,
And the great King above all gods.

—Psalm 95:1-3 (NKJV)

My LORD and my KING,

Establish within me new, stronger and truer pathways of thought, word and action—pathways that spring forth out of a heart overflowing with gratitude for who You are and for all the wondrous things You have done for me!

Let songs and shouts of joy erupt from my grateful heart and be lifted up to You in spontaneous praise and worship—for You are the Rock, the immovable and firm foundation that every aspect of my life is built upon! You are the God of my salvation—the author of my freedom over the sin of this evil world!

Let me come before You as Your beloved child—entering confidently into Your Holy Presence and remaining and abiding with You, that I might know You as You are—and continue to give my life back to You in thanksgiving!

Let me always praise You with shouts and songs of joy—for You are the Great and Sovereign God!  You are far above all other so-called gods, and the Great and Almighty King of all, forever! 

Thank You for choosing me to be Your very own child, for blessing my life with every good thing, and for allowing me experience the joy and peace that comes as I choose You back—as my only God and King, forevermore!

Establish within me new, stronger and truer pathways of thought, word and action—pathways that spring forth out of a heart overflowing with gratitude for who You are and for all the wondrous things You have done for me!

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Giving Thanks

Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

—Psalm 107:8-9 (NKJV)

Heavenly Father,

Help me to establish new and stronger pathways of both thought and action—pathways that express my heartfelt gratitude to You for all Your goodness, both to me and to all those around me.

For too long I have remained in my sinful tendency to whine and complain about things that I cannot change—or things that I am unwilling to do anything about, in order to cause change I want to see.

Help me to understand the seriousness of continuing down the pathway of complaining—a pathway which leads me to a place of questioning Your goodness and rejecting Your Sovereignty.

Help me to remember that You long for me to express my thanks to You at all times—not because You need my thanksgiving, but because within that attitude of gratefulness You cause my faith to grow and are able to satisfy the longings of my heart and fill my hungry soul with goodness.

Work in me to keep me grateful in all situations—good and bad—so that I might stay at peace and experience the joy of knowing that You are always working for my ultimate good, if I will keep my eyes and my heart open to receive that which You have for me.

Help me to establish new pathways of both thought and action—pathways that express my heartfelt gratitude to You for all Your goodness, both to me and to those around me.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Following Instructions For Freedom

I will keep on obeying your instructions
    forever and ever.

I will walk in freedom,
    for I have devoted myself to your commandments.

—Psalm 119:14-16 (NLT)

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the freedom that You make available to me as I carefully obey Your instructions.

Help me always to look at the instructions You give in Your Word as pathways that lead to my freedom—pathways which You have graciously placed before me for my own good.

Help me to see that obedience to Your commandments and instructions does not inhibit me or restrain me, but rather allows me the freedom to become the person that You designed me to be all along—and keeps me from the consequences that come when I willfully or ignorantly disobey You.

Help me to see I can only be free to fulfill Your plan for my life as I commit to know and follow Your instructions now and forever.

Thank You for the freedom that You make available to me as I carefully obey Your instructions.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.