When something goes wrong, either my husband or I begin the list.

You know, the one where you list all the good things that are in your life in an effort to put the problem into perspective.

Some have begun with:

“At least we’re healthy.”

“It’s not the compressor this time. The air conditioner will be fixed this afternoon.”

“We know many people who have endured things far worse.”

We only need to watch a few minutes of the news and learn of local and worldwide problems that make our own seem trivial.

While I believe that we should keep running gratitude lists, I don’t think that they should prevent us from praying for our own needs — the great and the small.

In the Bible I read that God has numbered the hairs on my head, records my tears in a bottle and has engraved my name on the palm of His hand. God is concerned about the details of our lives and is never too busy to listen to our prayers.

In fact, He wants to hear them, and the instructions of Philippians 4:6 are clear. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

So enlarge your prayer list, add the needs of others as well as your own, and as God answers your prayers, your list of blessings will grow as well.

Ronny Michel may be reached at rmichel@rtconline.com.