“GIVING THANKS”
SELECTED SCRIPTURES

I. Introduction
It’s November in the year 1623. Next month would mark the third anniversary of the Pil-grims arrival in the “New World.” One hundred thirty-two men, women, and children have come from the port of Plymouth in England seeking religious freedom and the hope of building new lives for themselves and their families. Nearly three years earlier, on December 21, 1620, after a harrowing three and a half month voyage on the Mayflower, they came ashore at what would become Plymouth, Massachusetts.

What was it like for them? What hardships did they endure? During the first winter fifty-one of their number died. By the autumn of 1621 another twenty-eight were gone. When they set aside a special day to give God thanks, only fifty-three of those who had come eleven months earlier were still alive.

The cynic might say to them, “Are all of you people fools? You haven’t been here for a year and seventy-nine of your people are already dead. How long do you think the rest of you will survive? And you thank God? For what?”

For what? The Pilgrims were Bible-believing Christians. And as such they knew full well that they had much for which to be thankful. Seventy-nine of their number had died, but fifty-three of them were still alive. More than that, they had just brought in their first harvest. And it was bountiful. They had real hope for the future. So they thanked God.
Over the course of the next two years He continued to bless their efforts and provide for them. It was then that the Governor of the new colony made the following proclamation:
To all ye Pilgrims,
“Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indi-an corn, wheat, peas, squashes and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as He has pro-tected us from the raids of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own con-science; now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November ye 29th of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three, and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Plymouth Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.”
William Bradford, ye Governor of ye Colony

Let me ask you a question. Do you have anything less than the Pilgrims for which to be thankful today? I doubt it. If you’re a Christian your heart should be overflowing with thanksgiving to God for the blessing of saving your eternal soul.
But then there are the temporal blessings God has poured out on all of us. Everyone here has a home with heat and running water. Everyone here has clean water, food, and ample clothing. Of course, some of us have more of this world’s goods than others, but no one here will be without a bed tonight, or be left out in the cold, naked, thirsty, and hungry.

But that’s not the case for multiplied millions of human beings on this earth. You and I are so used to being sheltered, fed, and clothed that we take it for granted. But we should take none of God’s blessings for granted. And yet we often neglect thanking Him for His provision because we seem to think that we’ve provided for ourselves. But James says,
James 1:17
17 Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.

The Pilgrims knew that. So despite the pain and hardship of those early years on what would become American soil, they went to church and praised God and gave Him thanks.

Now move forward in history to October 3, 1789. One hundred sixty-six years have passed since William Bradford’s proclamation. The United States of America has been born, our nation’s Constitution has been ratified, and it has now been in effect for seven months. The first American President has been in office for only five months. Now he issues a proclamation of his own:
“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…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…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…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…”

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789. George Washington

I find it very interesting that Washington not only asked the American people to be grate-ful to God for “His protection and favor,” but to implore Him to forgive our national sins. Whatever our national sins might have been in 1789 you can be sure of this: They are greater in 2012. Do you think Washington may have had Scripture in mind when he wrote those words? Might it have been one of these?
Romans 4:7a
7a Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven…
Proverbs 14:34
34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.
Psalm 33:12
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom He has
chosen for His own inheritance.

Now we move forward in history again. The date is October 3, 1863. It’s been seventy-four years to the day since George Washington’s proclamation. Then the nation was at peace, but now it’s in the midst of the Civil War. The country is being torn apart, hun-dreds of thousands are already dead and as many more will die before it finally and mer-cifully ends on May 9, 1865. And yet, while the war still rages, Abraham Lincoln issues his own proclamation calling for a day of thanksgiving to God.

It is a rather lengthy document that opens by thanking God for “fruitful fields and health-ful skies.” It goes on to praise God for numerous other blessings, among them His pro-tecting America from attack by foreign powers during this time of national weakness.
Listen to these excerpts from Lincoln’s proclamation.
“No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknow-ledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People.

I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States…to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recom-mend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such sin-gular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, har-mony, tranquility and Union.”

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

Acknowledging God, His justice and mercy, our own sins, both individual and national, our need for repentance, both individual and national – Lincoln acknowledged all of it.

Our forefathers took a day of giving thanks seriously. We should too. Although that small band of Pilgrims led by William Bradford suffered so terribly, they still found time to thank God for His blessings. When this country took its first steps forward, George Washington called on God, thanking Him for His blessings. Even when the United States was in imminent danger of being torn apart and divided into two hostile nations, Abra-ham Lincoln called on God and thanked Him for His blessings.

Is there any reason to think that Bradford, Washington, and Lincoln would do things dif-ferently if they were here today? Are the problems we face any worse than what those men were facing when they made their proclamations? I don’t think so. In the midst of great trouble, turmoil, fear, and strife they did precisely what believers have always done. They turned to God. How can you and I do any less?
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II. Text
This coming Thursday will be a day of getting together with family, eating too much, and for some at least, watching too much football. But it should also be a time of prayer. Let me urge you to set aside some time to praise God and thank him for all that He is doing – even the so-called “bad stuff.”

I know that this may be one of the hardest things Christians are called to do. It runs counter to human logic and our emotions to thank God for things like war, a collapsing economy, and the moral decay that surrounds us. It runs counter to human logic and our emotions to thank God for things like pain, sorrow, or the loss of a loved one. In human terms they’re all tragedies of one degree or another. But we only see them through the limited vision of our human eyes. We don’t see them through God’s eyes.

But we believe in God’s absolute sovereignty in all things. Thus we know that He sees all things with an eternal perspective. He sees what you and I do not see and He has pro-mised that no matter what befalls us in this life, there is something infinitely better coming… if we will trust Him and put our faith and hope for our futures in Him alone.

Can you thank God for the “good stuff” this Thanksgiving? Sure you can. It’s easy. But can you thank Him for the “bad stuff” too? Sure you can. It’s not easy, but you can if you’re willing to trust Him above all else.
*Romans 8:18
18 For I consider that the sufferings (the bad stuff) of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

That is our hope. Our physical eyes don’t see that, but if we believe God’s Word we can see it with our spiritual eyes.

*Romans 8:24-28
24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope (at all); for why does one also hope for what he sees?
25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.
26 And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;
27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

If you’re a Christian you can legitimately and sincerely praise God and thank Him for even those things that seem wrong to us, even those things that hurt us, and even the great sufferings of this world. Why? Because in all of it God is accomplishing His purpose!

So thank God for all the good things He has done this Thanksgiving. And then thank Him in advance for what He is going to do, whether “good or bad,” fully confident that He will bring you through every trial or tribulation. It may be in this life or it may be in the next, but He will bring you through it all. Romans 8:28 tells us to thank God for all things, doesn’t it? But that isn’t the only passage in the NT that says so.
*Ephesians 5:20
20 …always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father…
*Philippians 4:6
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know to God.
*Colossians 4:2
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanks-giving.
*1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Rejoice always;
17 pray without ceasing;
18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

What will the results be as you do this? Your human pride will begin to melt away before God, you’ll grow in grace, you’ll become more like Christ, and in the end you will be glorified with Him. That’s all!
*1 Peter 5:6-11
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,
7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.
8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suf-fering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.
10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
11 To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.

This is why a Christian can even thank God for trouble, pain, sadness, and sorrow. You can cling to 1 Peter 5:10 in the worst of times and under the worst of circumstances. “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

How can we express our thanks? I believe the clearest and most sincere form of thanks-
giving is seen when we obey Christ and His Word. It’s not what we say, it’s what we do. Shouldn’t obedience be the automatic response of anyone who has been rescued from hell and adopted into God’s family? Obedience leads to increased faith, trust, and assur-ance that God will see us through anything the world can do to us.

Here are just three of God’s promises and the subsequent blessings that accrue to those who obey Him.
Exodus 23:21-22 (“Him” is the Angel of the LORD; the pre-incarnate Christ.)
21 “Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgressions, since My name is in him.
22 “But if you will truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.”
Jeremiah 7:23
23 “Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, (so) that it may be well with you.”
James 1:25
25 …one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it (obeys it), not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.

So God will be an enemy to your enemies, He will be your God, it will go well with you, and you will be blessed. Such are the results of obedience. What are some specific ways we can praise God and thank Him? We can do so with our music and our singing. That’s one of the reasons music and hymn singing are so important in the history of the church. It’s why we sing choruses and hymns and play instrumental music as well.
Ezra 3:11a
11a And they sang, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, “For He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever.”

The Psalms are filled with exhortations to sing and praise and give God thanks. “I will praise the name of God with song, and shall magnify Him with thanksgiving (69:30).” “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms (95:2).” “Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praises to our God…(147:7).” There are many others, but you get the idea. We are to make a “joyful noise.”

Another way we can thank God is for each other. The Apostle Paul opens nearly every book he wrote by giving thanks for the local church and his brothers and sisters in Christ. Listen to some of the different ways he does so.
• Romans 1:8 – “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all.”
• 1 Corinthians 1:4 – “I thank my God always concerning you…”
• Ephesians 1:16 – “(I) do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers.”
• Philippians 1:3-4 – “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy…for you all.”
• Colossians 1:3 – “We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you.”
• 1 Thessalonians 2:13 – “…we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God…”
• 2 Thessalonians 2:13 – “…we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salva-tion…”

There’s a great lesson for all of us here. Are we thanking God for each other? And are we thanking and praising Him that He chose us “…from the beginning for salvation.”?

And don’t miss this. Thanksgiving and praise will be a part of our eternal worship.
*Revelation 4:9-11
9 And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to him who lives forever and ever,
10 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You did create all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created.”

You can readily see that such worship is not something you turn on and off like a light switch. It’s an attitude of the heart and a state of mind. True God-honoring thanksgiving can only come from one who has been changed by God Himself. Only then can someone really thank God for all things, regardless of whether human wisdom and experience calls them “good or bad.” Only then can someone say, “Thank you, Lord,” and truly mean it. But how can we get to that point in our Christian lives. Here’s how…
*Romans 12:1-2
1 I urge therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Did you know that the lack of thanksgiving is one of the marks of people who are con-formed to this world? A lack of thanksgiving in a person’s life is also a clear and unmis-takable mark of an unbelieving and dark heart.
*Romans 1:20-21 (Paul speaking about unbelievers)
20 For since the creation of the world (God’s) invisible attributes, His eter-nal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

But you are not like that, Christian. God has opened your eyes and filled your heart with the light of Christ. Just think of some of the ways the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life enables you to thank God. For example, you thank Him…
• when you spend time with Him in prayer and His Word.
• when you serve Him by giving the best of your time, talent, and treasure.
• when you tell others about Him.
• when you reach out to hurting people.
• when you forgive those who have hurt or offended you.
• when you sincerely praise Him from your heart.

But I don’t think there’s any thanks more amazing or more powerful in its testimony to Christian and non-believer alike than the sincere praise and thanks that is offered up in the face of tragedy and sorrow. Listen as Paul summarizes his attitude about such things.
2 Corinthians 12:10
10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
How much do you have to be thankful for this year? Take the time to think about it. You might be surprised. Of course, take time to thank God for the good things in life. But then take the time to thank Him for the bad things in life too. As you do, keep this one overarching truth in mind. In everything, everything, God is accomplishing His perfect will in your life and for your future. And in that, you are blessed.
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III. Conclusion
Listen to these words from Charles Spurgeon:
“Consider this: If Jesus Himself promises to bring you to glory, and if the Father Himself promised to give you the Son as part of His infinite reward, what can happen to you? Unless God Himself is unfaithful, or unless Jesus goes back on His promise, you are utterly safe. So come, exult before the God of grace and leap with joy – because He has chosen you.”

For every Christian here, if you can praise and thank God for nothing else, you can praise and thank Him for this: You are among the elect. “I chose you out of the world (John 15:19).” You can praise Him and thank Him for that today, tomorrow, this coming Thursday, and forever!

~ Pray ~