I Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
Colossians 2:7 instructs us to overflow with thankfulness; in other words, let your heart be so full of thanksgiving that it runs over for all to see! You'll be pleasant company!
In Colossians 3:15, the Lord Jesus tells us "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."
We see in Hebrews 12:28 that the way to worship God with reverence and awe is to be thankful.
There's something about thankfulness on our part toward God that frees His hand to work in our circumstances and answer our prayers. I don't know what it is, but I know it's true by the Spirit of God in me.
Let me share a poignant testimony with you.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012, was a dark day for me. A day of strong emotions that ripped at the fabric of my soul. The presidential election that announced Obama the winner left me stunned and incredulous. I felt deep anger, hurt, grief, and burdened. I felt betrayed by the three million who refused to vote because they didn't like the other candidate's religion. Couldn't they see we weren't voting for a church pastor? Apparently not. I wondered if our nation had sunk so low as to deserve a president who openly approves of and wants laws passed encouraging homosexuality, abortion, and the trashing of our Constitution. A president whose current governing ideas I find highly offensive and destructive to our nation, homes, and families.
I thought of Scriptures like Psalm 55:11, "Destructive forces are at work in the city; threats and lies never leave its streets." And Psalm 12:8, "The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men."
I thought of my pastor's recent comment in a sermon: "Christians massage the Word of God to mold it to fit their personal preferences or beliefs," and I felt betrayed by fellow believers in the Lord Jesus. Where are the disciples of the Lord Jesus? The thought came to me that the Church has failed in the mandate from our Commander in Chief, the Lord Jesus, to make disciples of all nations -- not just converts.
All that day I felt torn and tearful; but I knew I could not stay there. Instead, as a sacrifice of praise, I chose to turn my focus on the loveliness of Jesus instead of all the filth and disappointment in the world. I asked the Holy Spirit to help me praise Him in all circumstances.
On November 12, I decided to read I Timothy 2:1-2 (NIV): "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone -- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."
I wondered, "How can I give thanks to God for Obama? For a leader who stands for all I am against?"
I thought of Paul and his letter to Timothy; I imagined the Christians living in that day had a hard time giving thanks to God for Caesar, too. Yet the Lord Jesus asked them to do it. I struggled for a moment as I wondered how I could thank God for Obama and not betray my strongly-held convictions that were based on God's Word.
But I took a deep breath and thanked God for President Obama. I chose to do it in obedience to my Commander in Chief in Heaven, not because I felt like it, but because I loved the One Who forgave me my sins, gave me eternal life and declared me righteous and holy.
God did not say I had to thank Him Obama was re-elected, or for how he governs, for what he says, or for his beliefs. I needed to thank God for Obama as a person made in the image of God, and respect the office of the presidency set up to govern our nation. God instituted levels of authority in government so we'd have an orderly society.
I thanked God that He can turn our President's heart to what is right. I prayed for his salvation and that of his family, and for his advisers. For each member of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Supreme Court, and on down to the state and local levels. As Scripture says in Proverbs 21:1 that "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases." And I stand in faith on that Scripture.
The very next day, we read a prophecy from someone we trust, that the Lord Jesus was grieved by our lack of prayer for Obama and the words spoken by the Church against him over the last four years. In essence, we, the church, had tied His hands. The Lord could not do what He desired in our President. Our words matter in the earth, and carry the power of life or death over people and circumstances.
The prophecy contained the same thing the Lord had shown me and my husband the night before, which is this: we need to believe God to give Barak Obama a new heart, new priorities, new vision, sanctified by the God of Heaven! We need to believe God to turn him into a godly president. I believe God will give President Obama dreams or visions in the night, and he will hear a voice say, "This is the way; walk in it." We need to obey God and give thanks for all those in authority over us. We need to cultivate an attitude of gratitude in all areas of life. God can still give us a new President!
I can testify that my husband and I have a new joy and purpose in our souls, knowing we have obeyed the Lord's command. I am no longer grieving, but I pray about everything and everybody now, convinced God can change circumstances and the lives of people as we bless them with prayer.
This applies not just to our President; it applies to those in our families, neighborhood, that person on facebook , or someone who said or did something to hurt you. We are to give thanks for all people, because God wants everyone to be saved, and He wants us to live a quiet and peaceable life.
Yes, I'll say it again: giving thanks to God will kill anger. We overcome evil with good.
I want to end this post with I Peter 3:9-12 (NIV). "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you might inherit a blessing. For, 'whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.'"
Copyright © 2012 Elaine Beachy
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