By Pastor Mark Jordan
“Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart.” (Philippians 1:3-4, MSG)
When was the last time you broke out in prayerful exclamations to God? And I mean the good kind? I love how today’s passage indicates we should use these as triggers for prayer.
The word, trigger, seems to mean something a bit different from what it meant when I first began my ministry 20+ years ago. “Trigger” has been co-opted by the P.C. (political correctness movement), to the point where many see it in the connotation of a warning for what’s to come next. Thinking of triggers in such a way readies us for something negative to follow. What if we looked back at it, though, as a way to remind us to pray? To look for reasons to be glad?
I want you to look for things to help you remember to pray. I want you to give those exclamations to God and share them with the people He gives you to do life with. This will ensure that what follows fills your heart with appreciation and not anxiety.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for loving me. I want my life to be filled with appreciation and not anxiety. I am thankful for you and the people you’ve given me to do life with. Help me to live with gladness in my heart, for my life flows from it. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
