THANKSGIVING
13 indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying:
“For He is good,
For His mercy endures forever,”*
that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.
2 Chronicles 5:13,14
Thanksgiving is our best national holiday. It began as our founders recognized the hand of God upon our nation in an unusual way. There was a sense of destiny about our forefathers that lasted, to some degree up until the WWII generation. Not that everyone was spiritual, far from it, it’s just that there was a knowing that the hand of God was on us as a people. In this last generation, we have lost that sense of national identity and purpose, we have drifted far from our spiritual moorings.
On Thanksgiving Day in 1735, Jonathan Edwards preached a message entitled “God Amongst His People”. Their church in Northhampton, Massachusetts had experienced twelve months of powerful spiritual awakening. It was actually the beginning of what has been called “the Great Awakening” that impacted, and birthed “one nation under God”. Edwards told his people that they had much to be thankful for, especially that year. Their farms were blessed, it was a time of peace and safety, it had been a very good year. But he continued to tell them that their greatest blessing that Thanksgiving was that God had come down amongst his people. Listen as Edwards says it in his own words.
“”Tis the greatest glory and honor for a people to have so great and holy a God in the midst of them. God thereby puts the greatest possible honor upon a people. How can a people be more highly dignified that by having so great and glorious being dwelling with them? … This renders a people excellent above all other things. That people that have this great and Holy One in the midst of them, they partake of His Glory. His Glory is in a measure reflected from them: they shine with somewhat of the Glory of God on them.”
This people, had the greatest gift possible, God in their midst. This Thanksgiving we have much ,to be thankful for, the Lord has come down amongst us and we are thankful.
3 thoughts on “THANKSGIVING”
as beleivers we can be thankful every day thanksgiving the nation should be thankful its not so much about the holiday but what the lord has done for us and for this nation even though our nation very much dont honer t6he lord as much im thankful i get to be in this country and atg one time this nation really honored the lord i pray that day returern its god to pray for our leaders they are just people that the lord intervines their legislation effects so much that they would hear from the lord again i think we may have leaders that have convictions on what is right we need to pray they stand up to the ones that dont have conviktions even if they have to be the only ones that take3 a stand im really going to enjoy today it is another day the lord has made
Excellent Pastor Frank. God Bless you and your family today and all year. I am thankful for your thebaileydrink.com blog among many other things. I miss Victory but am enjoying being with family here.
Just one touch……Just one glimpse of His glory……may we be thankful every day.