Thanksgiving, Confession, Intercession

Prayer becomes so much more meaningful with these three components.

Giving thanks fills us with joy as we begin to appreciate simplicity. We take notice of the friendship that others extend, the kind smiles of strangers, the backyard joys that have always been present. The Lord enables us to feel greater joy with each day.

Confessing our struggles and weaknesses puts us in a position to have a change of heart, to grow humble and compassionate. Without God, our ability to love and forgive is finite and we tend to slip; but with God there are no bounds to the good and true things of life. When we confess we are asking God to eliminate weakness.

Most often, we ask God to intercede for others. And he honors our prayers because he loves us. Yet we must be aware that God's timing is different from ours and he often works in ways that we do not expect. We have to have faith that he will answer our prayers when the timing is right.