"Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created."
In light of the coming holiday I present the following, written the late 18th century by the original George W (DUB-ya):
Read SLOWLY and CAREFULLLY! Better yet, read it aloud.
Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"
Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
- George Washington, 3 Oct. 1789
I wanted to make note, not only of the numerous times God is mentioned, but the manner in which President Washington expresses the original INTENT of the Thanksgiving holiday, “…, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country…” Though there are those who wish to re-write history, to paint the picture that our first President was merely a deist and not a believer in the “Almighty God” of the bible, apparently, never read this proclamation (or any other is his writings for that mater). Can any believer NOT say “AMEN!” to the entirety of this document? What a different country we would live today had this been adhered to since day one? No doubt that President Washington was not perfect, but can those that love and fear the Lord uphold the adoration to God expressed here?
So I pose the question to you, what are you thankful for?
There are a lot of “things” to be thankful for, but what should we be thankful for?
The obvious answer (in light of the start of this post), GOD! JESUS! Come on Craig, that’s a given! Isn’t that like saying to your wife or husband, “Honey, I told you that I loved you and that I’m thankful for you agreeing to be mine on the day we were married. If I change my mind, I’ll let you know.” To make them never hear the words “I love you.” and “Thank you.” because you assume that they know and that should be good enough. Who however is it REALY for? Does God NEED our fear? Does Jesus NEED our thanks? Our gratitude? Think about it, isn’t it all for YOU?! You, I, we need to say it, say the words, mean the words and live the words.
The power of prayer is irrefutable.
But do I use prayer as a means with which to salve my conscience from actually DOING the things that I pray for? Do I pray for the ability to be more knowledgeable of His word but never study it? Do I pray that those saints in need at our local body be cared for and yet do nothing to help them? Do I pray that His word be spread to all but not open my mouth to tell others the Good News?
Prayer is not an avenue to absolve us of the responsibility to act.
Yes hard times are coming from a political standpoint – but what does that have to do with us as Christians? Do I need to understand why things are happening as they are? Do I ask God for that understanding? Am I not questioning His wisdom and power in the kingdoms of men? Remember Job? If any one had a “REASON” to question God, was it not him? After all what had he done to deserve what happen to him? But what did God say to Job when he asked for answers to things he did not understand?
Job 38:1-5
1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said:
2 "Who is this that darkens my counsel
with words without knowledge?
3 Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
4 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
Job 40:3-5
3 Then Job answered the LORD :
4 "I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
5 I spoke once, but I have no answer—
twice, but I will say no more."
Job 40:6-9
6 Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm:
7 "Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
8 "Would you discredit my justice?
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
9 Do you have an arm like God's,
and can your voice thunder like his?
Job 42:1-6
1 Then Job replied to the LORD :
2 "I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.
3 You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?'
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
4 "You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.'
5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
6 Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.”
My point is that our political and economical situations are irrelevant when held next to our duty to “fear God and keep His commands!” Just because our government gives its citizens the right to free speech, does God extend that same “liberty” outside the realm of working to lead those that are lost to Him? That is a question that I have no firm answer to. I do have to look at the things that concern me and prioritize them in a manner consistent with what I find in the bible. I know what concerned Paul, he wanted Agrippa (and ALL that were there listening) to be submissive to Jesus, as he was, but without the chains and shackles. I know Peter was more interested in the gentiles gaining access to Jesus than what the Jews might think by his entering the household of Cornelius. I know that James, the brother of Jesus, was grateful for the trials that we as followers will face that we will be made stronger for God.
As we prepare to surround our tables of plenty with family, both spiritual and physical, let us not forget to be thankful to God for what maters.
Thank you God for being God and allow me to let you be God!
Thank you Father for the perfect gift of your Son!
Thank you Jesus for your perfect example of service and submission!
Yes, it was worth the wait! When we feel God’s strength the most, it is in our weakness! The things of this earth are for HIS glory, not ours! We have much to be thankful for, especially that our Creator revealed Himself to us. The media and many history books only speak of Abraham Lincoln’s part in fixing a national day of thanksgiving. You have to dig deeper into history to learn about George Washington’s part in first suggesting it. Thank you for this pertinent, educational and thought provoking post!
It's rather sad, seeing how our leaders of past were so oriented and devoted to what is right, morally and spirituallly- compared to the leaders today, who are more so worried about the relative convenience of things.
It's good to remember, even in this broken world, there's plenty to be thankful for.
This is wonderful Craig, THANK YOU! I sit here and wonder, I think GW would roll over in his grave, so to speak-if he knew how this country has strayed from the foundation. Thank God for his mercy and kindness. GREAT!
Those are some VERY good thoughts! It was well worth the wait! I had no idea that Thanksgiving was GW's idea! Thanksgiving is really the only holiday that isn't Catholic based, or centered around superstition. Thanksgiving is a day focused on giving thanks and praise to God. But really, every day should be a day of praising and thanking God!
Craig, Paul Casebolt called me this morning and in our conversation he said he was speaking on the subject of "Thanksgiving" this morning. You put a lot of time and effort into your post. I am glad you have a heart what wants to be right with God. Far too few people have that desire in the world today. Love you, Dad
