SPEAKER_00: Hey guys, it's M.
SPEAKER_00: Shackelford.
SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to day 17 of 21 Days of Prayer.
SPEAKER_00: Today we're going to be talking about making room for gratitude, a heart that says thank you.
SPEAKER_00: Our key passage today comes from 1 Thessalonians 5, 18.
SPEAKER_00: It says, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Gratitude isn't just an emotion, it's a posture of the heart.
SPEAKER_00: Scripture doesn't say give thanks for all circumstances, but in all circumstances.
SPEAKER_00: That means thanksgiving is not dependent on what is happening around you, but on the God who dwells within you.
SPEAKER_00: Life will hand us seasons we did not choose, whether it's loss, waiting, uncertainty, disappointment, and yet God invites us right there to give thanks.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because thanksgiving shifts our focus.
SPEAKER_00: It lifts our eyes from the problem and places them back on the promise keeper.
SPEAKER_00: It reminds our soul that God is still present, still faithful, and still working even when we cannot see it.
SPEAKER_00: Just like when Paul and Silas began to sing praises while imprisoned, they chose to make room for gratitude in a place where gratitude made no sense.
SPEAKER_00: They worshipped in the dark, they praised while chained, they thanked God before the miracle came, and the miracle did come.
SPEAKER_00: The chains broke, the doors opened, freedom rushed in.
SPEAKER_00: Salvation came to the jailer and his family.
SPEAKER_00: But notice this the miracle followed the praise.
SPEAKER_00: It did not start with deliverance, but it started with gratitude.
SPEAKER_00: A grateful heart is powerful.
SPEAKER_00: It disarms fear, it quiets anxiety, it opens our eyes to what God is doing instead of what we feel he isn't doing yet.
SPEAKER_00: Gratitude is a declaration of God, I trust you here.
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes the most profound act of worship is whispering thank you through your tears, not because everything is perfect, but because he is.
SPEAKER_00: Gratitude doesn't erase your grief, but it carries you through it.
SPEAKER_00: This week, ask yourself if gratitude is a declaration of trust, what does my current level of gratitude reveal about where my trust is resting?
SPEAKER_00: Let's pray.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, give me a heart that chooses gratitude in every season.
SPEAKER_00: Teach me to see your goodness even in the places that feel confusing or painful.
SPEAKER_00: Let my thank you become an act of trust, a declaration of faith, and a reminder that you are near.
SPEAKER_00: I believe you are working all things for my good, and I choose to thank you right here, right now.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: Love you, friends.
SPEAKER_00: Can't wait to see you back here tomorrow for day 18 of 21 Days of Prayer.