“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.” Colossians 4:2
The Bible repeatedly addresses our attitude when it comes to prayer. Of course, we can be completely honest with God because He already knows what’s in our hearts and minds. At the same time, remembering who we’re talking with should affect the way we approach Him. So, are you praying with the right attitude or the wrong one?
Praying rightly calls for thankfulness. This starts with gratitude for salvation—understanding what your sin deserves versus what you’ve been given. Praying with an attitude of thanksgiving builds trust in God and affects our requests. That’s why we can, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).
Gratitude also creates humility, which causes God to look on us favorably. “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word” (Isaiah 66:2 NIV). Genuine humility protects us from approaching God as if He owes us something. For instance, have you ever gotten mad at God because it felt like a prayer went unanswered? Then considered this—God did answer the prayer and His answer was, “No” because He knows best.
Wrong attitudes such as entitlement and pride put us in opposition to God (James 4:6). Jesus addressed this in the Sermon on the Mount. “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; [who] love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men” (Matthew 6:5). He wasn’t condemning praying publicly but praying pretentiously and insincerely.
Are you praying with the right attitude? Ask yourself…do I desire the applause of others more than the approval of God? Which of my prayers have become presumptuous or pretentious? Be careful! Those are warning signs of pride and ingratitude. Prayer is not where we negotiate a better life but where we submit to Jesus as our life. So, if you want to gain God’s ear, go to Him with a heart of thanksgiving and humility. Thank Him for what He’s already done on your behalf, and humbly ask for His will to be done in your life today.