{"id":1334,"date":"2024-12-06T23:11:46","date_gmt":"2024-12-06T23:11:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jayjohnston.org\/?p=1334"},"modified":"2024-12-06T23:11:50","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T23:11:50","slug":"a-prayerful-heart-of-gratitude","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jayjohnston.org\/index.php\/2024\/12\/06\/a-prayerful-heart-of-gratitude\/","title":{"rendered":"A Prayerful Heart of Gratitude"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.<\/p>\n<cite><strong>Psalm 100:4<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God&#8217;s will for you in Christ Jesus.<\/p>\n<cite><strong>1 Thessalonians 5:18<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, I want to share my thoughts on Thanksgiving as I express my thanks to God for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanksgiving Day is more than a day marked on the calendar; it is a posture of heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanksgiving calls us to reflect on God&#8217;s faithfulness, abundant provision, and the innumerable blessings in our lives. In the company of family and friends, we must remember that Thanksgiving is a spiritual discipline. It reorients our hearts toward God and deepens our awareness of His presence in every season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At some other time, I will share my journey and how God worked in my life to give me a thankful heart. Following the work of the Lord in the mid-1980s, I began closing all my correspondence with the salutation \u201cWith a Grateful Heart\u201d as a reminder to maintain that posture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621 after incredible hardship. And their gratitude was not because they had plenty but because God&#8217;s sustaining grace was their only hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beloved, we are called upon to give thanks in all things. May we not only find ourselves grateful for material blessings but for the spiritual riches we have in Christ: salvation, hope, peace, and eternal life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>America&#8217;s founding fathers also encouraged gratitude. President George Washington, in his 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation, declared:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Friends, as we celebrate this Thanksgiving, let&#8217;s call on the Lord to lead us to practice a lifestyle of thanksgiving, being grateful not just for a day but for the rest of our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Heavenly Father,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We come before You with hearts full of gratitude. Thank You for the blessings You have poured upon our lives: the gift of salvation, the love of family and friends, and Your faithfulness through every season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lord Jesus, help us recognize Your hand in all things, both in times of plenty and times of need. May we learn to live with thankful hearts, remembering that every good and perfect gift is from You.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As we celebrate this Thanksgiving, we lift up our nation to You. We thank You for the vision of those who established this land and for acknowledging Your providence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lord, we pray for unity, wisdom, and revival in our land. Lord, let our gratitude overflow into acts of kindness and love as we glorify You in all that we do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Jesus Name, Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In closing, I challenge you to reflect on three specific things you are thankful for this year. Share those things with someone around your table or write them in a journal as an act of thanksgiving to God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Friends, gratitude opens the door for joy and peace to flood our hearts. This Thanksgiving, let us enter His gates with Thanksgiving and His courts with praise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong><strong><span style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#2f5496\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Join Me in Prayer<\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>As you know, I lead several prayer calls each week. I invite you to participate in any of them. Praying aloud, praying silently, or just silently listening is welcome. Below is a list of all the prayer call opportunities, followed by the toll-free number and instructions on to join the calls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><span style=\"color:#c79a4e\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Saturday Prayer Call<\/span><\/strong><br><strong><em>Every Saturday @ 7:30 am EST<\/em><\/strong><br>Focus: Seven Mountains of Influence and a ministry time for fellow intercessors<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><span style=\"color:#c79a4e\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Monday Prayer Call<\/span><\/strong><br><strong><em>Every Monday @ 11:00 am EST<\/em><\/strong><br>Focus: Family<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><span style=\"color:#c79a4e\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Wednesday Prayer Call<\/span><\/strong><br><strong><em>Every Wednesday @ 3:00 pm EST<\/em><\/strong><br>Focus: US Government including Federal, State, Local, and US Military<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><span style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#c79a4e\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Louisiana Prayer Call<\/span><\/strong><br><strong><em>Every Monday @ 8:00 pm CST<\/em><\/strong><br>Focus: The governor and issues concerning Louisiana<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>HOW TO JOIN:<\/strong><br>Phone number: 425-436-6287&nbsp;<br>When prompted, dial: 970542#<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If you know someone who might be interested in these ministry updates or joining me for prayer opportunities, feel free to share this post and invite them to join us. I can also include them in our weekly email reminders about prayer calls if they email me at jay@jayjohnston.org.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-1 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/jayjohnston.org\/index.php\/contact-us\/\" style=\"color:#eeeeee;background-color:#1d417c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"https:\/\/jayjohnston.org\/index.php\/contact-us\/ noopener\">Contact Me<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-2 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/jayjohnston.org\/index.php\/donate\/\" style=\"color:#eeeeee;background-color:#1d417c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"jayjohnston.org\/index.php\/donate\/(opens in a new tab) noopener\">Donate Now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>With a Grateful Heart,<br>Pastor Jay<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4 Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God&#8217;s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Today, I want to share my thoughts on Thanksgiving as I express my thanks to God for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1319,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[13,55],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.13 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A Prayerful Heart of Gratitude - Jay Johnston Ministries<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jayjohnston.org\/index.php\/2024\/12\/06\/a-prayerful-heart-of-gratitude\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Prayerful Heart of Gratitude - Jay Johnston Ministries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 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