We do not forget to turn to God. Especially in difficult situations. And with gratitude there are problems. In the church community there is a parable on this subject.
One angel is resting on a cloud, and the second is flying back and forth. And the first one asks the second: “Why are you flying?” He answers: “I bear requests to God.” Why are you lying? To which the first angel gives the answer: "But I bear thanksgiving to God."
And from this it becomes somehow sad. God does not forget to wake us up in the morning, but how do we respond to Him? By and large - no way.
What is gratitude?
This is an expression of gratitude for any good shown. If you analyze the composition of the word, it turns out "I give good." That is, thanks to the Creator, we express our recognition to Him. And your love.
Correct thanks
How to thank God correctly? Is it better to use the word "thank you" or "thank you"? The last word will be more true. Because "thank you" is interpreted as "save God." But God has no reason and nothing to be saved from. He himself is the Savior of the human race.
What to thank for?
For all. For each day that has come and lived. Because we are healthy. Because God gives us the opportunity to walk on the earth, breathe air. In illness and sorrow, one also has to thank the Lord God. For without His will nothing happens. He rules the world. And if the Lord allowed grief before us, then that means we need it.
Daily not forgetting
To thank God for the day that has come and lived is a must. The Lord does not forget about us, grants life days. And to treat His gifts with gratitude.
How to bring it to the Lord daily? With the help of prayer rules. There are special morning prayers and prayers for the coming dream. Woke up, picked up a prayer book, thanked for awakening. We go to bed, we also take a prayer book and pray for the night. Thank you for another day we lived and ask for protection for the coming dream.
You can add your own to prayer thanks. In your own words, coming from the soul.
Life is a gift of God
Do we often hear the following words: thank God for the life that was granted to me? Alas, no. And this must be done. Thanks for the fact that the Lord allowed us to come to this world, to see it with our own eyes, to become part of the universe created by the Lord.
How to give thanks for a priceless gift - life? Order a thanksgiving prayer to the Lord. Pray at home in your own words. Go to the temple, light a candle and pray before the icon and the Crucifixion of the Lord.
In sorrow and disease
How to thank God at the time of illness, grief and sorrow? When our wings are clipped and I don’t want anything. What is there to fly, crawl with difficulty. Everyone went through this.
How to cope with this condition? Well, firstly, you should always remember that all our sorrows are sent by God. He has his own path to salvation for everyone. And God leads an unreasonable person this way. And a man grumbles and is indignant, trying to break away from the Savior and go on his own. And of course, like a small child, he falls, stuffs himself cones and does not understand why this happened. To admonish the especially independent, illnesses and sorrows are sent.
Secondly, one must not lose heart. However bad it may be. Despondency is the most terrible enemy of man. When people are discouraged, everything falls out of hand, thoughts go around one. A man stops fighting and begins to give up slowly.
How to return to the fight? Get out of a state of despondency? It is necessary to thank God for the sorrows and illnesses sent. Read the grateful akathist "Thank God for everything." This akathist is sold in any church shop, its price is quite affordable.
For family
Everyone has a family. Someone has only parents, others have a spouse and children. And the phrase "thank God for mom and dad", unfortunately, is almost impossible to hear from children. Of course, in Christian pious families, where children are accustomed to pray and to thank the Lord from a young age, perhaps there is something like that. But in ordinary life, quarrels with relatives are more likely than gratitude to God for what they are.
But it is necessary to offer it. Because the parents are alive and well, the husband does not drink or walk, the children study, and do not disappear in bad company on the street. More often we swear at children, they say they sit at the computer all day. And the meaning of this abuse? Pray and God will help solve the problem.
For help
To ask God is the order of things. Every day, people ask their Creator about their everyday problems and needs. The Lord helps if this request is not to the detriment of man. And what? The petitioner, having received what he wants, immediately forgets about God. Until the next appeal to Him according to your needs. Is that right?
When we help a person, and they don’t say “thank you” to us, it hurts. And what is it to God who loves his creation and helps him? The Lord patiently takes away our ingratitude. But this is wrong, God helped you, thank him too. Help comes through neighbors, friends, acquaintances. And sometimes God rules so that a person receives help from there, from where he did not expect. And we thank those people who helped us in fulfilling our wishes. Forgetting to thank the Lord.
How to thank God for help in fulfilling the request? Go to church and order a thanksgiving service. Light a candle, give thanks in your own words, standing in front of the icon of the Savior or His Crucifixion.
If it is not possible to visit the temple, read at home an akathist, “Thank God for everything.” Stand in front of the icons, talk with God in your own words, thank Him with all your heart.
You need to know
Thank God more often for everything that happens in life. Remembering that the ways of the Lord are mysterious. We think it should be so, and God knows how best it is for you and me.
Go to the temple, bring your prayers in the house of God. Confess, partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. And be sure to wear a cross. The cross is a "bell on the neck of the lamb of God."
General temple attendance
We sometimes run into the temple to light candles. Someone submits notes on the health and repose of loved ones. But how often do we attend church services? For the most part, very, very rare.
How to prepare for the service? How to get there? What is needed for that? How to get to confession and take communion? About all this in order.
- Preparation for the service, if a person does not plan to receive communion, does not require any effort. You just need to find out the schedule of services for the nearest church and go there to serve.
- You need to come to the service in advance, not being late. This will help to light candles without fuss, to venerate the icons, ask the Lord for something and thank Him.
- It is advisable for women to attend worship in a skirt. The head should be covered with a scarf or hat.
- A man comes to the temple in trousers. Shorts are not allowed.
- During critical days, a woman is allowed to enter the temple. But you can not put candles, kiss icons and touch the shrine. One can take a blessing from a priest these days.
- Those who wish to confess and partake need to prepare for these Sacraments.
- We confess our sins. In the face of the Lord, and the conductor between us and God is the priest. Before you go to confession, you need to sit down and think seriously. Disturb your memory in search of the sins hidden in it. For those who confess for the first time, there is a special helper book with a list of all the main sins. It is sold in church shops.
- Participants prepare to proceed to the Sacrament as follows: fast for three days - they do not eat meat, dairy products and all products associated with animals. In the evening, on the eve of Communion, you need to subtract the prayers for Holy Communion, as well as the three canons. Lord, Mother of God and Guardian Angel.
- In the morning before Communion do not eat. First they come to confession with the priest, and then, having received his blessing on the Sacrament, they begin this Sacrament.
- After Communion, you need to hear the words of thanksgiving. This is the question of how to thank God. Prayers of thanks after Holy Communion can and should be read at home. For that we thank that God allowed us to partake, received repentant sinners and allowed to Himself.
Read at home
At home, you can read not only thankful akathists and prayers. Morning and evening prayers, the Gospel - at least a chapter a day, the Psalter - daily according to Kathisma, this is the basic minimum rule of an Orthodox Christian.
If there is time and opportunity, you can read the akathist to the saint, who is most often resorted to for help. Someone is Nikolai the Miracle Worker, someone - Sergius of Radonezh. Both the Moscow Matron and Xenia of Petersburg help us, and each saint will help if a person sincerely asks him for something. After the request has been fulfilled, do not forget to thank the Lord God and the saint whom you have addressed.
Conclusion
So how to thank God? This can be done in the temple by ordering a thanksgiving service. And you can do it at home, after reading the akathist "Glory to God for everything." Every day you need to thank the Lord, bringing him prayers in the morning and evening. Do not be afraid to turn to God in your own words, sincere and cordial.
And perhaps the most important gratitude is to live according to the commandments of God. Fulfill the law that the Lord himself decreed for each of us. Go to the temple, bring repentance, partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. In general, to thank God for their correct, Christian life, wise attitude to their loved ones. Do not offend anyone, do not blame and remember that "each sheep will be suspended by its tail."