Episode Details

How often do you stop to thank God for the prayers He has already answered? It’s easy to focus on what we’re still waiting for while overlooking the blessings, relationships, opportunities, and circumstances we once desperately asked God to provide. Remembering answered prayers can renew our gratitude and help us recognize God’s goodness in everyday life.

Psalm 103 calls us to remember God’s benefits and not forget His goodness. Sometimes God answers prayers immediately, while other times His perfect timing looks different from what we expected. Childhood prayers for something as simple as a kitten or a puppy can become reminders of a faithful God who hears us and knows what is best. When we intentionally look back at what God has done, we can move from taking His blessings for granted to cultivating a heart of gratitude and trust.

Highlights

• Why we can be quick to remember hardships while forgetting God’s goodness
• How answered prayers can become easy to take for granted
• What childhood prayers can teach us about trusting God’s timing
• Why God’s answer may be “not yet” rather than “no”
• How reflecting on past prayers can strengthen gratitude and faith
• Practical questions for recognizing the answered prayers you are living right now
• An encouragement to slow down, remember God’s blessings, and thank Him for His faithfulness

Want more encouragement throughout your week? Subscribe to The Good Word, LifeAudio’s free weekly newsletter.

Sign up at LifeAudio.com/thegoodword

Do you want to listen ad-free?

When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts! 

Sign Up Today!

Full Transcript Below:

What Childhood Prayers Teach Us about God’s Goodness

By Hannah Benson

Bible Reading:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:2-5 ESV).

How quick are we to remember the sins of others when they have wronged us, or to remember the darkest tragedies in our lives? Even if we long to forget the terrible things, they don’t often easily slip from our minds.

Why is it then that we are so quick to forget the goodness of God? Why is it more difficult for us to remember all the good things God has done in our lives? Do we keep count? Do we thank Him for the blessings we take for granted? Do we remember the prayers we so desperately prayed that we are now living?

Do we stop to thank the Lord for those, or do we take them for granted?

I often find myself guilty of this.

I can get so caught up in praying for the next thing that I forget to simply bask in the Lord’s presence and remember everything He has done. There is nothing wrong with praying for something. God loves to hear from us! But He also desires