Thanksgiving and Thanks Living, part 5

Look what God said to Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:17-24, “‘You will not have to fight in this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be, discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’ 

18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD. 19 Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up to praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice. 

20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, ‘Listen me, O Judah, and the people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets you will be successful.’ 

21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing the LORD and praise Him for the splendor of His holiness as they went at the head of the army, saying: ‘Give thanks to the LORD for his love endures forever.’ 

22 As they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 23 The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men of Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped destroy one another. 

24 When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they only saw dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped.”
 

Thanksgiving opens the door to God’s power, which opens the door to victory. God is looking for people in whom He can show Himself strong, but those people have got to be people whose hearts are fully committed to God. People who are willing to thank Him, even when face to face with difficult circumstances.
 

Acts 16:25-26, “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.” In Paul’s situation, thanksgiving brought them freedom – suddenly their chains came loose, as God shook the foundation of the prison. Thanksgiving doesn’t always bring an immediate end to our adverse circumstances. However, it will bring an inner freedom in the midst of them.
 

God is listening… God is watching… He sees much more than we see… He views the whole picture. Thus, we must understand that as we thank Him, and praise Him, our adverse situations will begin to fade behind the truth of the greatness of our God. The circumstances won’t end until God has finished the work that He has begun. But, if we will learn to give thanks and praise in the midst of it all, we will learn that God will grant us His inner peace and assurance.
 

Philippians 4:4-7 encourages us by saying, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
 

I wish I could say that I have always done well when it comes to thanks-living, but I have to be honest, as I reflect on my Christian walk, many times, my thankfulness has not been continual. However, the deeper I go into God’s Word, the more evident it becomes, that I must truly possess an attitude of gratitude.

May God help me, and you, to not just be hearers of His Word, but to be true doers of His Word.  END