THANKFULNESS

THANKFULNESS

                America… America… God shed His grace on thee… and crowned thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea. Return to Me America for I have blessed you above all others. Why have you forsaken Me? Must we meet on Mt. Carmel once again?

                ‘I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said Here am I, Here am I,” to a nation which did not call on My name. I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts.” Isa. 65:1, 2.

                Thankfulness comes with the territory of being a true believer. We look beyond the veil and our hearts respond to the great lover of our souls. Unworthy though we may be, He seeks our love in dark alleys and lowly haunts until we give up our running and fall into His arms.

                Once captured by His love we do the unnatural thing: We become thankful. We become grateful. We look at the world around us with new eyes. We see trouble and rebellion on every corner. We see a world teetering on the brink of disaster and yet with sudden clarity we understand. The God whom we serve is somehow greater than all of this. There has always been rebellion. We are born into a rebel kingdom. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not get weary they will walk and not faint.” Is 40:31                   

                “From of old they have not heard nor perceived by ear, neither has the eye seen a God besides Thee, who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him. Thou dost meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness, who remembers Thee in Thy ways.  Behold, Thou wast angry, for we sinned, we continued in them a long time; and shall we be saved? For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. And there is no one who calls on Thy name, who arouses himself to take hold of Thee; for Thou hast hidden Thy face from us and has delivered us into the power of our iniquities.” Isa 64:4-7.

                But, “He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say to the Lord,” My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” Psalms 91: 1, 2.

                For us the secret place of the Most High becomes all-encompassing. And while the rest of the world is asking “Where is God?” we are saying:

                “Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from thy presence? If I ascend into heaven, Thou art there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold Thou art there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Thy hand will lead me and thy right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me and the light around me will be night,” even the darkness is not dark to Thee and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to Thee.” Psalms 139:7-12.

                Our thankfulness is a very deep and fundamental thing… knitted into the fabric of our faith… intimate beyond intimacy… love beyond capability… like an underground river that is found only by those that know where to drill. Our thankfulness is something that the world does not understand because it no longer knows the secret:

                “For Thou didst form my inward parts; thou didst weave me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Thy works and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from Thee, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Thy book they are all written, the days that were ordained for me when as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Thy thoughts to me, Oh God! How vast the sum of them.” Ps 139:13-17.

                Thankfulness runs deep. It encompasses all of our sorrows and our joys. It embraces us in the storm and soars with us in the highest heavens. Our worship transcends logic. It comes from some place deeper than the mind…like a river of living water flowing from our innermost being.

                We may gather around the Thanksgiving table and offer our yearly prayers. Our noses breathe in the aroma of the feast. Our hands joined around the table, we give thanks as if it is required of such occasions. Grandmothers and mothers finally get the praise they so richly deserve and God smiles upon the scene with wistful eyes. He is not jealous of the mothers and grandmothers, or the cranberry relish over which pleasure is expressed… He is jealous over the hearts of those for whom thanksgiving is merely a passing thought rather than a way of life.

                True thanksgiving comes from knowing that even in times of chaos and rebellion, “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Even as He knitted us together in our mother’s womb, He knew all of the days of our lives. He knew that in time we would eventually respond to His love with thanksgiving and that we would return to Him and we would call Him our Father. “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons and daughters of God.” Romans 8:14.

                For us, Thanksgiving is not just a day. For us, thanksgiving is a way of life and our river of thanksgiving runs deep... woven into the fabric of our lives by the One who made us.

                Baruch atah Adoni    eloheinu melech ha olam    ya motsi lechhem min ha eretz.   “Blessed are You O Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.”

                In this season of our remembering, peace and thanksgiving join hands.

Shalom and happy Thanksgiving!