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Thanksgiving and Praise
Andrea Lende • November 25, 2020
II Chronicles 16:8-9
Thanksgiving and Praise
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Thanksgiving-and-Praise-en00t2
II Chronicles 16:8-9
“O give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known His doings among the peoples!”
“Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; meditate on and talk of all His wondrous works and devoutly praise them!”
King David had an opportunity to gather his people and give thanks to the Lord thousands of years ago.
They had just “brought the ark of God and set it in the midst of the tent which David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.”
They took time to celebrate the Lord and all His wonderful blessings.
They made offerings, ate food, sang songs, and gave thanksgiving and praise to God.
Sounds very similar to how we celebrate today.
And sounds very similar to the first Thanksgiving celebrated just over 400 years ago.
The Lord has blessed His people since the beginning of time.
He takes pleasure in blessing His people.
As we celebrate this day, I take a few moments to recount the many blessings the Lord has personally blessed me with.
And I take time to remember the first settlers of our country.
The hardships they endured.
Docking on the east coast in late autumn when it was cold, and they were without shelter.
Many did not survive that first winter.
They gave up the comforts of their homelands to embark on a new journey.
A journey that would lead them to eventually establish this great country that would serve many generations to come.
Today I and thankful for those first brave souls who would venture here to this country for their dream to worship freely and am also thankful for God’s many blessings on our great nation.
May you find yourself thankful wherever you are this day for the people who made it possible to experience the beauty of the land you live in and for God’s generous blessings on your life.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for Your generous and bountiful blessings on Your people from the beginning of time. Thank You for blessing the ones who would travel to this land and establish our country. Thank You for their strength, perseverance, and vision to be able to worship freely. Thank You, Father, for their commitment to their mission so we can now enjoy the fruit of their initiative and hard work. Thank You for blessing their labor, Lord. Thank You for placing me here in this country at this specific time and place. May You continue to bless this land and all the people in it. May You call us to revere You, Lord, as we move through the end of this year and embark on a new year. Help us turn our hearts to You and worship You in all ways, Father. Keep our hearts Yours and help us follow You and be obedient to You. Help us bless others this day. Thank You for hearing our prayer.
Answer: I will bless My people and your nation as you come close to Me.
Response: Draw us close to You, Father, and keep us Yours.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.