“Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” Psa 50:14–15
As we gather with family and friends during this Thanksgiving time, it is the prayer of my household that you are resting in His promises, rejoicing in His mercies, and resisting victoriously all that is opposed to His Word and will in your lives.
No other nation on earth—to my knowledge—has ever dedicated a day specifically for the purpose of giving thanks to God for His many blessings. This day makes America unique in declaring that our blessings come from Almighty God.
However, while thanksgiving is the proper response to the manifold mercies of God, it also comes with certain sober obligations. As the above text indicates, thanksgiving for past blessings should stimulate us to greater faithfulness to ensure future blessings—not only to us but to future generations.
Obedience to God’s Word is the outward expression of our prayers of gratitude. The fruit of that obedience is the assurance that—in time of future peril—we can confidently call upon a God we have honored both in word and in deed, knowing that He will reward us with deliverance.
Further, the object of His providential deliverance is that we will go on to glorify Him further. God has heard the prayers of His people, and has given us a great deliverance. We need spiritual vigilance lest we fail to fulfill the pledge implied in giving thanks: That is, that we acknowledge Him as the author of our blessings, that we recognize His demand for faithful obedience, and that we intend to live in order to reflect our gratitude by our actions.
The spiritual battle has raged through the ages. There is no cessation of hostility from the fallen realm—both of men and angels. Victories won do not end the fight. They only provide opportunity to prepare for the next battle. Wise men use times of peace to prepare for the next war.
May each of you know the presence and power of Jesus Christ—the Lord of glory—as you give thanks for His person and work. And may this Thanksgiving season find you more equipped to stand in the coming days of the counter-attack of the unseen enemy.
“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” Psa 106:1
We salute you in His matchless grace,
Gene and Nan