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•A Prayer for Gratefulness•By Anthony Valente👉 "The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” (Psalm 28:7)Positive thinking is important, but without proper roots, we may force our view of what is good in front of what God proclaims “good.” Gratefulness intersects with positivity in a realistic way which allows us to see what we currently have and entrust God with what is to come. He promises hope and a future for us (Jeremiah 29:11) and a life that is more than we can ask for or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).The psalmist wrote, “the LORD is my strength and shield.” Strength, in context to the Hebrew word translated from the Old Testament, is defined with words such as strength, power, might, and stronghold. But it’s also defined with words like stubborn and strong-willed. (NIV Exhaustive Concordance Dictionary.) The LORD is strong ….He will defend us by His will, which cannot be thwarted by any means. He is a protective shield. Our lives are safe under His arms, yet often we walk around in fear and worry. Instead, as the psalmist wrote, we can trust Him with all of our hearts. He helps us, and our hearts are filled with joy. We burst into prayers of thanksgiving for His dependable presence in our lives. Let's pray.✝️ Father,Praise, glory, and honor to You! You are our strength and our shield. When we do not want to wake up in the morning, You remind us why we are loved, worthy, and important. Father, when life is too hard and sad to face, You lift us up with Your strong arms to walk through those days until the season changes. Thank You, Father, for being our strength. Thank You for Jesus, through whom we have access to the power and strength of Your Holy Spirit! Holy Spirit, come into our lives with a fresh wind of inspiration and power to strengthen us as we walk through our daily lives. Give us the wisdom to see things through Your perspective, Father, and the discernment to know which way to go, what to say or not to say, and the next right thing You will for us to do. Father, You give us the strength to forgive. God, You have the power to dissolve misunderstandings and let the truth shine stronger than the confusion. We pray for the blessing and strength of Your clarity today, God. Strengthen us to forgive, give us another chance, and reconcile what seems impossible. You are strong enough to accomplish what we cannot, Lord. Do it. Father, thank You for being a shield for us. There are dark elements surrounding us in the world, some we can see, and others are only felt. But God, You see what’s happening, and You are in control. Thank You for protecting us, both from what we can see and the bulk of what we cannot. We pray today You would shield us from negative thoughts, Father. Shield us from lies that lead us to believe falsities about ourselves and others. Give us clarity to see life from Your perspective, God. Shield us from our enemies and from enemy attacks, Father. What we cannot see coming, You do. So, help us to obey You daily, and walk in Your will so that we rest under the covering of Your shield, God. Father, when we want to know outcomes and yearn for justice, we choose instead to trust You with all of our hearts. You help us, and our hearts are filled with joy. We burst out in songs of thanksgiving, God, for who You are and who we are in Christ Jesus. Give us hearts full of gratefulness, Father, for who You are, and Your faithful love for us expressed in so many ways daily. In Jesus’ Name,AMEN 🙏 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!(Psalm 30:11-12)Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.(1 Thessalonians 5:18)When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?(Psalm 56:3-4)Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.(Ephesians 6:10)The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.(Psalm 118:6-9)This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.(Psalm 118:24)For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.(Psalm 84:11)And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.(Colossians 3:17)But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy! Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the Lord; exult before him!(Psalm 68:3-4)Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.(James 1:17)In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”(Acts 20:35)Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.(Proverbs 30:5)Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.(Isaiah 41:10)The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.(1 Peter 4:7)His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’(Matthew 25:23)Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.(1 Peter 1:3)You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.(Psalm 23:5-6)(pic verse)I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”(John 16:33)Artist 👨‍🎨 I Am With You Always - David Delfeld