A Life That Thanks God Ahead of Time

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:24 (NIV)

If I was given a check today for a hundred dollars, would I wait to say thank you until I knew it would clear? Unless you had reason to not trust the one giving it, You’d thank them—and then take the check to the bank.

God’s promises are better than any of our promises. Before I even receive what he has promised, I can say, “Thank you, God. I know that what you promised will happen. You’ll do what you say you will do.”

There’s a great example of this in God’s “faith hall of fame” in Hebrews 11. Remember how Joshua led the Israelites around Jericho, where the walls fell down? How did they fall down? Hebrews 11:30 says, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days” (NIV).

It says, “by faith.” The story goes like this: “The Lord said to Joshua, ‘I am putting into your hands Jericho, with its king and all its brave soldiers. You and your soldiers are to march around the city once a day for six days. Seven priests, each carrying a trumpet, are to go in front of the Covenant Box. On the seventh day you and your soldiers are to march around the city seven times while the priests blow the trumpets. Then they are to sound one long note. As soon as you hear it, all the people are to give a loud shout, and the city walls will collapse. Then the whole army will go straight into the city’” (Joshua 6:2-5 GNT).

And that’s exactly what happened. The Israelites followed God’s instructions, and the walls just fell. God did what he’d promised!

What if I’d been one of those people marching around the city for seven days? I might have been looking at those walls, getting more and more worried, wondering how God could ever bring them down. But the Bible says, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell.” They thought about what God could do and thanked him in advance.

This is the kind of life Jesus wants me to live, the thanking-God-in-advance kind of life. Jesus talked about it in Mark 11:24: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (NIV). 

When I ask God for something, why even ask if I don’t believe? It’s an empty exercise.

Jesus said that if I pray and ask God for something, I should believe he’s going to do it. Thank him in advance for what only he can do. And then look for how he answers my prayer.

In summary:

This passage teaches that genuine faith trusts God’s promises so completely that you would thank Him before the answer is seen, just as one would thank a trusted giver before a given check clears. Because God is perfectly faithful, believers can confidently pray believing He will do what He has promised, as illustrated by the fall of Jericho when the Israelites obeyed God and thanked Him in advance by faith. Jesus calls His followers to this kind of faith-filled life—praying with expectation, trusting God’s word, thanking Him ahead of time, and watching for how He answers—because prayer without belief is empty, but faith turns God’s promises into lived reality.

Bottom Line:

Live with expectant faith—pray believing God will do what He has promised, thank Him in advance, and trust Him to answer even before I see the results.

Next Step:

Intentionally practice and model visible, expectant faith—then invite others into it by choosing one clear prayer or God-given vision and begin thanking God in advance for it daily, not just asking. Then put language to my faith by sharing this publicly so others can see what “believing before seeing” looks like in real life. Align your goals with prayer, treating goal-setting as an act of trust rather than control, and take one obedient step even if the outcome isn’t guaranteed yet. This fits who I am because I'm not just called to believe privately—I'm called to lead by example, helping people move from fear and uncertainty to faith and action. When my life consistently reflects thanking God in advance, it reinforces my credibility as a leader and multiplies my impact far beyond my own story.

New Day, New Opportunity to Fulfill My Mission

In 2 Peter 3:9 it says, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”  (NLT)

God only uses imperfect, broken people. If God only used perfect people, nothing would get done because perfect people don’t exist!

If I’m willing to be used by God, he will use me. No matter what I’ve done in the past, my mission hasn’t changed.

Jonah was an ordinary guy who didn’t want to do what God told him to do. Yet God gave him another chance, and he eventually did what he’d been called to do. But even as he obeyed God, Jonah carried out his assignment with a bad attitude. Yet God still used him.

God gave Jonah a seven-word sermon: “In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!” (Jonah 3:4 GNT). That simple message led to one of the largest spiritual revivals in history. A huge city humbly turned to God. It’s really a bigger miracle than getting Jonah out of the belly of a big fish.

God used this imperfect, reluctant prophet to lead an incredible revival.

God was patient with Jonah and never gave up on him. God won’t give up on me either.

The Bible says, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” (2 Peter 3:9 NLT).

If I wake up tomorrow morning, it means God is giving me one more day—another opportunity—to fulfill my mission.

Expect God to use me. And he will.

God may have seemed slow to these believers as they faced persecution every day and longed to be delivered. But God is not slow; he just is not on our timetable. Jesus is waiting so that more sinners will repent and turn to him. I must not sit and wait for Christ to return, but I should realize that time is short and I have important work to do. I need to be ready to meet Christ anytime, even today; yet plan my course of service as though he may not return for many years.