“So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.” (John 11:41, ESV)
The scripture above is shocking, and yet very few people even realize why! John 11:41 explains the situation when Jesus asked that the stone be removed from the tomb of Lazarus. Jesus planned on raising Lazarus from the dead as a sign of God’s ability to do such things. After removing the stone and before Lazarus came alive, Jesus prayed, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.” (John 11:41). Jesus’ words are in past tense! That means that when Jesus prayed, He already knew in His heart that God would answer the prayer and raise Lazarus from the dead, EVEN BEFORE IT HAPPENED! That’s like celebrating the victory of your favorite football team before the game even starts! Why did Jesus pray a prayer of thanksgiving before the miracle occurred instead of after?
Sometimes, praise and thanksgiving don’t just belong after miracles and healings and gifts of grace. Sometimes, praise and thanksgiving to God need to be said at the outset of a work or event. The praise and thanksgiving will thus empower the miracle to come to fruition. It sounds backwards, but it’s not.
Rev. Henry W. Frost once spoke about a dark time in his life that was seriously impacted and changed with praise and thanksgiving. He wrote: “PRAISE CHANGES THINGS! Nothing so pleases God in connection with our prayer as our praise, and nothing so blesses the man who prays as the praise which he offers. I got a great blessing once in China in this connection. I had received bad and sad news from home, and deep shadows had covered my soul. I prayed, but the darkness did not vanish. I summoned myself to endure, but the darkness only deepened. Just then I went to an inland station and saw on the wall of the mission home these words: “Try Thanksgiving.” I did, and in a moment every shadow was gone, not to return. Yes, the Psalmist was right, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.” (p. 229, Streams in the Desert).
If you find that ordinary prayer is becoming routine, include more thanksgiving in your prayer! If your soul is faltering with pain or doubt or worry, fire it up with some thanks and praise of God! Often, thanksgiving and praise don’t only affect God, they charge the soul and uplift the heart and mind. Praise and thanksgiving should not just be done after good things happen. By Jesus’ example, they sometimes deserve best to occur to bring hope and meaning and fruition to something about to happen! Thanksgiving and praise can even cause good things to come to light!
After counseling a quarreling couple for two months, I felt like my help was not working. Nothing I did could get either husband nor wife to see the positive in their relationship or their future. The talk about divorce got ever more serious. I prayed desperately for God to give me insight as to what to say. I asked God over and over to open the eyes of this couple so they may see and appreciate each other and their love. For several weeks, everything I did failed. Nothing worked in the counseling sessions. Several arguments broke out at our meetings. Things looked bleak.
Just when everything looked lost, late one night I prayed to God and just said, “I love you God as the author of wisdom and love. I do not know what to do with this couple. I’m going to just step back and not plan anything. I’m going to leave it up to you to inspire us tomorrow. I believe they are going to give up on their love, on you, on healing, on marriage. I know you brought them together. I know you want them to see the love they are missing. I am giving you thanks right now for what will happen tomorrow. I know you. I feel you are going to do something, even if I don’t have any good words or advice left.” I slept soundly that night. Even though I had no plans for the counseling session the next day, I felt calm in my heart that God was going to do something wonderful. I didn’t know what it was, but I felt the coming miracle.
As the couple gathered with me in my office, I saw their scowls. There were no smiles. There was no light-hearted banter. Very few words were spoken. Then, the couple informed me they were separating. The awkwardness in the air grew thicker. But I did not doubt God. God was up to something. I could feel it! I was offering praise and thanks to God under each breath.
Then, something came to me.
I turned to the couple and said off-the-cuff, “Since you are separating, I want you to do one thing for me. I want you not to separate for two more weeks. During that time, you will give compliments and thanks 20 times each day to each other. Thank the other for a good meal, a good memory, something that helped, a kind word or a kind gesture. I want you to write up a sheet with 20 boxes next to each of your names and tape it to the refrigerator. Each time a compliment or word of thanks is given I want the one who received it to check the box for the other person. I also want you to keep up with your prayers. Then, come and see me in two weeks.” They promised to do this, complaining openly to me.
Two weeks later, I was surprised to see two smiling faces when we gathered for marriage counseling. They explained to me how, at first, the complaints outweighed the compliments and thanks given to each other. Then, out of spite, they each desired to be the first one to fill out their 20 boxes of compliments. My thought was that the one who filled out the boxes most often could use that as ammunition to blame the other for a lousy marriage. But that didn’t happen. Instead, their hearts began to be softened by the constant praise and thanks and compliments coming their way. By the end of the two weeks, they were enjoying filling out the 20 boxes. If you visit their house today, you’ll see a blank sheet of paper with 2 sets of 20 boxes. They continue to give their compliments and thanks to each other. It’s the highlight of their days!
Before Lazarus came alive, Jesus was already giving thanks for the coming miracle. Before I even knew what to do, I was giving thanks to God for helping a couple to find love again. Sometimes, your thanks and praise go a long way to improving your situation, even causing miracles to happen! Sometimes, you have to plant those seeds of thanksgiving so that wonderful blooms of life soon grace your presence!
Sometimes, praise and thanksgiving don’t just belong after miracles and healings and gifts of grace. Sometimes, praise and thanksgiving to God need to be said at the outset of a work or event. The praise and thanksgiving will thus empower the miracle to come to fruition. It sounds backwards, but it’s not.
Rev. Henry W. Frost once spoke about a dark time in his life that was seriously impacted and changed with praise and thanksgiving. He wrote: “PRAISE CHANGES THINGS! Nothing so pleases God in connection with our prayer as our praise, and nothing so blesses the man who prays as the praise which he offers. I got a great blessing once in China in this connection. I had received bad and sad news from home, and deep shadows had covered my soul. I prayed, but the darkness did not vanish. I summoned myself to endure, but the darkness only deepened. Just then I went to an inland station and saw on the wall of the mission home these words: “Try Thanksgiving.” I did, and in a moment every shadow was gone, not to return. Yes, the Psalmist was right, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.” (p. 229, Streams in the Desert).
If you find that ordinary prayer is becoming routine, include more thanksgiving in your prayer! If your soul is faltering with pain or doubt or worry, fire it up with some thanks and praise of God! Often, thanksgiving and praise don’t only affect God, they charge the soul and uplift the heart and mind. Praise and thanksgiving should not just be done after good things happen. By Jesus’ example, they sometimes deserve best to occur to bring hope and meaning and fruition to something about to happen! Thanksgiving and praise can even cause good things to come to light!
After counseling a quarreling couple for two months, I felt like my help was not working. Nothing I did could get either husband nor wife to see the positive in their relationship or their future. The talk about divorce got ever more serious. I prayed desperately for God to give me insight as to what to say. I asked God over and over to open the eyes of this couple so they may see and appreciate each other and their love. For several weeks, everything I did failed. Nothing worked in the counseling sessions. Several arguments broke out at our meetings. Things looked bleak.
Just when everything looked lost, late one night I prayed to God and just said, “I love you God as the author of wisdom and love. I do not know what to do with this couple. I’m going to just step back and not plan anything. I’m going to leave it up to you to inspire us tomorrow. I believe they are going to give up on their love, on you, on healing, on marriage. I know you brought them together. I know you want them to see the love they are missing. I am giving you thanks right now for what will happen tomorrow. I know you. I feel you are going to do something, even if I don’t have any good words or advice left.” I slept soundly that night. Even though I had no plans for the counseling session the next day, I felt calm in my heart that God was going to do something wonderful. I didn’t know what it was, but I felt the coming miracle.
As the couple gathered with me in my office, I saw their scowls. There were no smiles. There was no light-hearted banter. Very few words were spoken. Then, the couple informed me they were separating. The awkwardness in the air grew thicker. But I did not doubt God. God was up to something. I could feel it! I was offering praise and thanks to God under each breath.
Then, something came to me.
I turned to the couple and said off-the-cuff, “Since you are separating, I want you to do one thing for me. I want you not to separate for two more weeks. During that time, you will give compliments and thanks 20 times each day to each other. Thank the other for a good meal, a good memory, something that helped, a kind word or a kind gesture. I want you to write up a sheet with 20 boxes next to each of your names and tape it to the refrigerator. Each time a compliment or word of thanks is given I want the one who received it to check the box for the other person. I also want you to keep up with your prayers. Then, come and see me in two weeks.” They promised to do this, complaining openly to me.
Two weeks later, I was surprised to see two smiling faces when we gathered for marriage counseling. They explained to me how, at first, the complaints outweighed the compliments and thanks given to each other. Then, out of spite, they each desired to be the first one to fill out their 20 boxes of compliments. My thought was that the one who filled out the boxes most often could use that as ammunition to blame the other for a lousy marriage. But that didn’t happen. Instead, their hearts began to be softened by the constant praise and thanks and compliments coming their way. By the end of the two weeks, they were enjoying filling out the 20 boxes. If you visit their house today, you’ll see a blank sheet of paper with 2 sets of 20 boxes. They continue to give their compliments and thanks to each other. It’s the highlight of their days!
Before Lazarus came alive, Jesus was already giving thanks for the coming miracle. Before I even knew what to do, I was giving thanks to God for helping a couple to find love again. Sometimes, your thanks and praise go a long way to improving your situation, even causing miracles to happen! Sometimes, you have to plant those seeds of thanksgiving so that wonderful blooms of life soon grace your presence!