In high-school, I had a P.E. teacher that would always ask a student to do something but would end the request with “please and thank you.” For example, she would say, “Go bring me the bag of volleyball’s. Please and thank you.” I always found it odd that she would say “thank you” before the task was completed. In fact, it would drive me nuts! I would walk away after her asking me to do something and think, “I haven’t even done it yet! Why doesn’t she say “thank you” once I am finished?” However, the other day I noticed I asked my husband to do a something but then thanked him before he had even started on my request. The words that once drove me bonkers in high school were now coming out of my mouth! I stopped to think about why I thanked him before he had even started the task, and I came to the conclusion this: I had 100% confidence that he would follow through.
Confidence: trusting in the abilities, strengths, integrity, or faithfulness of someone or something
Due to me saying “thank you” because of my full confidence in his ability and faithfulness to complete the task, led me to question if I make my requests to God with the same confidence. Do I just say “Please” but wait to see if He will follow through before I say “thank you”? When it comes to God, do I have the same 100% confidence in His ability and faithfulness like I do with my husband? Or like my P.E. teacher had with her students?
Philippians 4:6 (AMP) says,”Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests) with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.”
I believe I do, but my actions and my words may not always convey it when I am in prayer. I am always quick to thank Him for the blessings that I have already received, but I’m not always as fervent to thank Him for the blessings that I hope to one day come. Therefore today during my quiet time with God, I wrote a “thank you” letter to Him. I thanked Him for the “usual” blessings such as good health for me and my family, a wonderful husband, a warm home, encouraging friends, a wonderful church, etc. I might have even wrote down the orange juice I was drinking. But towards the end of my letter, I included a few “thank you’s” for those things which I have said “please” to. My list included…
- a baby to be conceived
- healthy children
- healed and made whole with perfect egg follicles and balanced hormones
- pregnancy free from all complications
I encourage you to ask yourself the same question I asked myself…Do I just say “please” but then wait to see if God will follow through before I say “thank you”? If so, then from this day forward as you make known your requests to God, release your faith by always ending it with a “please and thank you,” knowing with confidence that He will follow through.
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