Ps.73:25 – Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
What are you thankful for as we enter into this Thanksgiving season? We could all make an endless list of all the Lord has done for us in 2022. He has provided everything we need from food, shelter, health, and resources for everything we need for our families, our employment and our church. But there is something else that all of us at Victory Church have to be thankful for (Yes, I know I am biased). We obviously have an unusual display of God Himself in our midst in our gatherings, need I say more? What else could anyone ask for? If the Lord Himself is present do we lack anything? His presence among us is a foretaste of our heavenly inheritance and is the greatest treasure we enjoy this side of heaven. What else could I even need, God is with us and we are thankful. Jonathan Edwards preached a message on Thanksgiving in 1735 giving thanks for that very thing. They had experienced a year of unprecedented outpouring at their church in Northampton. This was literally the beginning of the Great Awakening that birthed our nation. Edwards was encouraging the people to give thanks because God Himself was with them. Here is a short clip from his message.
“When so great and holy a God dwells among a people, he not only is able to supply them with all good, but he himself is the sum of all good. God is theirs, and therefore they are happy, if they have nothing else. If all other things fail, the enjoyment of God is sufficient to make them completely happy. They that have God for their portion, they have a sufficient portion. Such a people may well glory in their portion, and make their “boast in the Lord”, and say, “The Lord is the portion of our inheritance and our cup: thou maintainest our lot. The lines are fallen unto us in pleasant places”. “Whom have we in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that we desire beside thee”.
Here we are almost 300 years later. We have an extremely advanced society compared to 1735 but do I recognize what is really valuable in this upside down world? Like the church in Northampton God has visited us. God has visited us and we are glad.
I carry great conviction to not squander nor dilute any gathering for His purposes. I owe Him my uninterrupted attention which , for me, starts with eyes closed, the discipline to keep my thoughts from drifting, (I cannot run little errands about work or other subjects in my mind when going to that secret place) for the reward is always worth the effort. To me, a meeting in His name without a kiss and communication ( my thankfulness, my worship, my receiving) is useless.
I feel His presents in our church. Even though I don’t see Him with my physical sees, I see Him moving with my spiritual eyes. I even can taste His glory.