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DEVOTIONAL ARCHIVE

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Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.   --1 Thessalonians 5:18

In his autobiography, Clarence Edward Macartney, a noted author, wrote a story about two men who were walking through a field when they noticed an enraged bull. Almost immediately, they began running toward the nearest fence. The angry bull followed in hot pursuit, but it was soon apparent that they couldn’t outrun the bull.

Terrified, one of the men shouted to the other, “Put up a prayer, John. We’re in for it!”

John answered, “I can’t. I’ve never made a public prayer in my life.”

His companion yelled, “But you must! The bull is catching up to us.”

“All right,” panted John, “I’ll say the only prayer I know. My father used to repeat it at the table: ‘O Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us truly thankful.’

This humorous story really suggests a valuable truth: Always give thanks no matter the situation. Paul and Silas faced trouble with the authorities in Macedonia when they drove an evil spirit out of a young slave girl who could no longer make money for her owners through her psychic powers. As they were attacked, stripped, beaten, and thrown in jail, they never faltered in their faith.

Scripture says that at “about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose” (Acts 16:25-26).

No matter how severe the trials and tribulations we go through in life, believers should always give thanks in everything.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Pray that God would empower you to praise Him, thank Him, and triumph through every life situation—both good and bad—that comes your way.

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