In Philippians 4:6, the Spirit of God through the apostle Paul tells us,
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.
Phil. 4:6
Paul not only gave us instruction about giving thanks, he gave us his own example as well. He must have been one of the most praying and praising men who ever walked on earth.

In his letter to the Corinthians, he wrote, "I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 1:4).

In his letter to the Ephesians he wrote, "[I] cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers" (1:16). He wrote to the Philippians and said, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy" (1:3-4).

One of the pitfalls praying people fall into is that they become heavy with the burdens of prayer, and then spiritual pride creeps in. They get this attitude: "I'm a pray-er, and I'm just weighted down with it so heavily today!"

Well, you shouldn't be! You're not God, and you aren't carrying the world on your shoulders. You are simply doing your part in prayer.

"Oh, but Lynne," you might say, "I keep hearing about how the devil is moving in on governments around the world. I keep hearing about all the terrible things that are happening everywhere. How can I keep from getting overburdened about it?"

Listen, there will always be evidence of what the devil is trying to do in the earth, but don't focus on that. Magnify what God is doing. Boast in the Lord.

Even if you have to look at a situation under a magnifying glass, find something in it to thank God for and then open your mouth and let the praises fly.

Worshipping God with praise and thanksgiving keeps the heaviness away! It keeps you focused on God instead of on yourself.

It keeps your prayers clean and will protect you from taking either the pressure of the problem or the credit for its solution.

Don't Wait Till You Feel Like It
If you're just getting started in the things of God, you might be thinking, I don't have much to give thanks for right now. My life is still in a mess.

If that's the case, just open your Bible to the book of Psalms and praise Him with the words that are written there. Praise Him for the mighty works He has done in the past for others and rejoice over the fact that what He's done for others He will do for you!

I realize you may not feel like rejoicing and praising God in the midst of your current circumstances. But that doesn't matter. The Bible doesn't say we should praise when we feel like it. It says we should praise Him at all times.

Why? Because through praise we access the power of God. If you doubt it, read Acts 16 and see what happened when Paul and Silas praised God in the middle of a prison.

They were in a dark situation, locked in chains, their feet in stocks. Did they weep and moan and complain? No. Verse 25 says, "...at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God...."

We've all encountered a midnight hour—both by the clock and by the crisis. It's the darkest time. What do you do when you find yourself in a crisis at midnight?

Do exactly what Paul and Silas did.

You pray and sing praises to God. If Paul and Silas had waited until they felt like praising God, they would never have tapped into the power they needed to get them through the crisis.

But, thank God, they did tap into that power and it literally shook the prison. "Immediately all the doors were opened and every one's bands were loosed" (v. 26).

By the time the night was over, Paul and Silas were free, the jailer and his whole family had been saved, and they were all rejoicing together over dinner. Now that's what I call victory!

Source: Prayer Notes by Lynne Hammond.
Excerpt permission granted by Mac Hammond Ministries