In the above Scripture, Paul is calling these persecuted, hurting Christians to pray and allow the Lord to help them change from self-concern to praising God from whom all blessings flow. They were to turn their minds and hearts to what God had done and would continue to do for them. We must remember in our disappointments and hardships that we are neither helpless nor hopeless. We have a Heavenly Father who loves us. He sacrificed His one and only righteous Son to suffer and die to save us from our sins. Jesus Christ shed His blood on that old rugged cross in order that our Heavenly Father could justly forgive our sins when we repent. As we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are adopted into God’s redeemed family and our names are inscribed in Heaven to prove that we are His born-again children. Unbelievers should rejoice that they can repent and trust Christ as their Savior; believers should feel the need to rejoice in knowing that when they die they will go to heaven.
Let us not forget the part in our text that commands us to “pray without ceasing.” Praying prayers of thanksgiving is not only an obligation; it is also inspiring, uplifting, mind-changing, heart-changing, and faith-building. The command to “pray without ceasing” includes all forms of communicating with God—praying, singing, worshiping, and giving thanks. Thanking God for answered prayer is transforming.
Several years ago, while driving through Massachusetts after preaching in the northeastern states, I decided to visit Plymouth Rock where the Pilgrims landed in December 1620 (400 years ago). I looked over the replica of the Mayflower and marveled at the lack of space for the many people who had sailed the Atlantic for so long a time. I walked on up the hill and stood before the monument of those who had braved that wild ocean and had come ashore to tame the savage wilderness. Governor William Bradford’s wife drowned while disembarking from the Mayflower, leaving the Governor with their one-year old son. The Pilgrims had landed in cold weather, lacking sufficient provisions for the winter. There were no shelters awaiting them to protect them from the cold, snow, wind, and rain. Most of them grew ill within a matter of weeks. Ten of the seventeen husbands and fourteen of the seventeen wives died within three months of the Pilgrims’ landing. By April 1621, more than half of the population had died of either disease or famine. The summer of 1621 brought a welcome reprieve from the earliest harsh environment. Indians taught the Pilgrims to plant corn, since the wheat they had brought from England would simply not grow in the rocky soil of Massachusetts.
The colonists also learned to hunt and fish in their surroundings. Through it all, they never forgot that their gracious and merciful God had been with them in the crossing of the ocean, in helping them erect shelters, and in bringing friendly native Americans to comfort them through the loss of their loved ones and to help them find food. Although they were living with limited rations, they declared their first Thanksgiving as a celebration of God’s gracious provisions.
Can we not marvel at the faith and courage of our founding fathers? Can we Americans not wonder at God’s great blessings in this year of 2020? May I challenge you to join me in praying humbly before God, begging His forgiveness for our ingratitude, our selfishness, and our division! I hope we will take the time during this Thanksgiving season to do more than enjoy a Thanksgiving feast, the thrill of watching a football game, or even the pleasure of visiting with family and friends. May the Lord help us all—saints and sinners—to thank God for life, for His plan of salvation, and for the freedoms we have enjoyed in America for four centuries.
Before closing my message today, I want to remind my readers of the faith of some of our American founders. I am thinking of our first President, George Washington, and his wife Martha. They were Christian believers who worshiped God and prayed, read and believed the Bible, and sought to live according to its commands. And then, there were John Adams and his wife Abigail, who prayed, worshiped, assisted the poor, counseled the needy, and helped feed the hungry. John Hancock was known for his wealth, but he was also a man of prayer and faith; he studied the Scriptures and shared his faith, trying to win his neighbors and friends to Jesus Christ as their Savior. I could go on naming many other founders who were good examples for showing appreciation for what God has brought about in establishing the United States of America.
Who can deny that God has blessed America? I am hoping and praying that Christian believers all over America will experience a call to a revival of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving that will lead to repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ. May God help us remember that He sent revivals among the early colonies in America in the 1700s that gave new life and vision to prepare for our future. Never in our nation’s history have we needed to experience spiritual renewals like those we have known periodically across the centuries. I hope many of you will join me in a closing prayer.
Our Heavenly Father, in Jesus’ name, I thank You that during this Thanksgiving season we have so much for which to praise you. Yes, Lord, we realize that our country has never been more wicked, nor has Your church been weaker. We ask Your forgiveness for sin, and we pray for the humility, hunger, and faith to believe You for a great spiritual awakening. We pray that You will cleanse us from our coldness of heart, selfishness, and disobedience of Your Word. We pray that You will convict unbelievers of sin and draw them to repent and trust Jesus as their personal savior! Please, Lord, revive us again that all Americans will rejoice in You and praise You from whom all blessings flow! Amen!
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