Thanks In Advance

Thanks in Advance

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6, ESV

ANXIETY KILLS FAITH AND UNDERMINES PRAYERS. Most of us have experienced that. We pray in fear, hoping the protection or provision we’re praying for will come, but at the same time we’re overwhelmed by the possibility that it won’t. Paul wrote in Ephesians that God can do “infinitely more” than we can imagine according to the “power at work within us” (3:20). That power is what energizes us. But anxiety is the wrong kind of energy. It adds no power to our faith.

What does feed our faith? Gratitude. When we thank God for the answers to our prayers—perhaps not the exact answers according to all our wished-for details, but definite answers nonetheless—we are acknowledging that he is faithful to his promises. Why not go ahead and get excited about what he is going to do? Why not praise him for his compassion, attentiveness, and faithfulness? Why wait to see if he follows through to decide whether we’re going to thank him? Faith counts on an answer—in his way and in his time, of course—and trusts that it is coming.

Many would look at gratitude-in-advance as naive, delusional, or even manipulative—as if God is beholden to whatever we presume upon him. But we are not presuming anything; we are believing what he said. His promises were his idea, not ours. Obviously, we don’t want to manufacture worship in order to get something from him. But we do want to take him at his word and worship him because he has given us the kind of relationship that makes that possible.

We know God is going to be good to us. That’s his nature. We know he will answer prayers in some way that will be satisfying and fulfilling. That’s his promise. So go ahead and add thanksgiving to your prayers of faith. Push through those self-accusations of “faking it” and press ahead until it’s authentic. See how your faith swells, your expectations expand, and your relationship with God is enriched. Notice how much lighter—and less anxious—you feel. It’s always appropriate to worship and give thanks to God. His goodness is just as true before prayers are answered as after.

Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude.