# Seeking God, Finding God: A Lenten Meditation on Gratitude
*2009-03-03*

> Bill Young reflects on the power of gratitude in prayer, using Matthew and Psalm 138:1 as a springboard for a Lenten practice of thanking God before seeing answers.

## Opening Scripture

We begin with Psalm 138:1: “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth.” In the Gospel reading from Matthew, the disciples ask the Lord for help. The psalmist, however, reminds us to start with gratitude, trusting that God has already heard our prayers.

## The Transforming Power of Gratitude

All the great mystics—from the Desert Fathers onward—teach that we should pray with thanksgiving. When we thank God first, we acknowledge that He is already at work, even before we perceive the answer. This attitude changes everything.

Imagine waking on a rainy morning, dreading traffic, wet shoes, and a smelly dog. If you have known a severe drought, that same rain becomes a cause for gratitude: the fields are revived, the crops will grow, and even the traffic seems less burdensome. The external circumstances haven’t changed; our attitude has.

## Gratitude as the Eucharist of Prayer

The Greek word for “thanksgiving” is *eucharistia*, the root of the word Eucharist. In the liturgy, thanksgiving becomes the sacrament that transforms us. Likewise, when we pray with gratitude, our petitions are opened to the ways God may answer them.

## A Simple Lenten Practice

For the rest of this Lenten season, try this: whenever you ask God for something, follow the request immediately with a heartfelt “Thank you.” Even if the answer isn’t visible yet, you are affirming that God has heard you.

## Today's Prayer

Thank you, God, for the answers I cannot yet see. Amen.

*Gratitude turns every prayer into a thanksgiving, opening us to the answers God is already preparing.*