Author: John Page 153 of 167

Psalm 116:17 “I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.”

In a nation only a few months old, the national government in the newly formed United States of America found it fitting to establish a specific day of thanksgiving to celebrate the Lord’s blessings.  In America’s first year under the Constitution, President Washington declared the following:

“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; and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me ‘to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.’

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 signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which He hath been pleased to confer upon us.

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; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our national government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

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

With these words, the fledgling American government offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving by calling upon the name of the Lord.  In a spirit of thankfulness and humility, the government rightfully recognized that God was the source of all our blessings; they conveyed the same to the general public through this proclamation.  PLEASE PRAY THAT TODAY’S AMERICA WOULD DEMONSTRATE AN EQUIVALENT SPIRIT OF THANKFULNESS DIRECTED TOWARDS THE LORD.  For the many blessings in our lives, our thankfulness is the least that we should offer back to God.

Esther 4:15-17 “Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.”

Throughout the Bible, fasting accompanies the Lord’s working.  It was a component of the Ninevites’ repentant spirit that prevented God’s wrath from falling upon them (Jonah 3:5-10).  It was a part of Moses’ receipt of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:27-28).  It was even a part of the Savior’s life as he prepared himself for the tempting of the devil (Luke 4:1-14).

Interestingly, it was also a part of the Jews’ victory as they avoided persecution at the hands of king Ahasuerus in the book of Esther.  In fact, immediately after Mordecai’s impassioned charge to Esther (and the PLUS theme verse) the way to success was revealed; fasting was a fundamental part of it.  The faithful recognized their need to bond together in order to see God-given victory in their land and so they fasted.  They saw their nation headed in the wrong direction and so they fasted.  They recognized their need for salvation from abuse and so they fasted.  They sensed governmental power being marshaled against the will of God and so they fasted.  They witnessed manipulation of the laws by the enemies of God and so they fasted.  They recognized their need for God-inspired leadership and so they fasted.

PLEASE PRAY AND FAST AS YOU SEEK NATIONWIDE REVIVAL.  They fasted, and so should we.

Matthew 17:21 “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”

In my post from October 27^th I wrote about the power of faith the size of a mustard seed from Matthew 17:19-20.  Yet, I stopped short of using the next verse that describes how to develop such powerful faith. The importance of prayer has been a mainstay of the PLUS ministry, but I have never written about the other precursor to mountain-moving faith – fasting.

Through the encouragement of a couple of good Christian friends, I spent a day fasting for my country last week.  Frankly, fasting had been a glaring omission in my personal life of faith.  I had seen the mention of fasting countless times throughout the Bible and had ignorantly skipped over it, failing to put it into practice.  I had even breezed by the passages that assume that fasting is a part of an average believer’s life.  Matthew 6:16 doesn’t say ‘if ye fast’ or ‘when you consider fasting.’  God’s word says “Moreover when ye fast.”  With that in mind, I spent a day fasting and the Lord impressed upon me that fasting should become a regular part of my prayer life for our nation.

We should pray and fast that the Lord gives us the wisdom to make an impact on our community and our country.  We should pray and fast that Christians in this land would stand up for Bible-based principles.  We should pray and fast that our leaders would get saved.  We should pray and fast that a widespread revival would sweep across the United States that would redirect our path back towards the Lord.  PLEASE PRAY AND FAST FOR OUR NATION.

We should never ignore fasting as a component of our worship, especially because it is a precursor to unleashing faith that can move mountains.

Luke 14:23 “And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.”

As described in my previous post, the signers of the Mayflower Compact had a common purpose – to bring glory to God.  But, they also had a common mission – “advancement of the Christian faith.”  This was not a group of atheists.  It was not a group of agnostics.  It was not a group of mixed faiths.  It was not even a group of lackluster Christians.

Instead, it was a group of Bible-believing Christians.  These Christians were passionate about their faith, and were determined to carry it to the ends of the earth.  They understood, as should we, that their mission in life was to advance the cause of Christ in all that they did.  By confirming this mission in their foundational document, they combined themselves into a civil body for God’s glory.

As American Christians today, are we truly passionate about advancing the Christian faith?  Do we accept the Bible truth that we are to go out into the highways and the hedges?  Do we embrace our God-given responsibility to compel others to come in? Do we concern ourselves with the filling of God’s house?  If not, we should.  It is God’s command.  It is a command that the signers of the Mayflower Compact took seriously enough to make it their mission.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AS AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WE WOULD MAKE IT OUR MISSION TO ADVANCE THE CHRISTIAN FAITH.  In order to do so, we must get out to go out.  There is plenty to be accomplished in the highways and the hedges.  A four hundred year old example based on Bible principles should guide our way.

I Corinthians 10:31 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

Veteran’s Day, celebrated annually on November 11^th, allows us to properly pay tribute to those who have served America in our nation’s armed forces.  It is fitting to recognize them in this way.  Yet, there is another group of veterans that we should remember on that day as well.  On November 11, 1620, a group of 100 or so pilgrims found calm within the safety of Cape Cod.  They were veterans of a 66-day journey from the old world to the new world, about to step onto dry land.  Before doing so, they drafted and signed what is now known as the Mayflower Compact, a document that bound them together with common purpose, mutual protection, and civil order.  The main body of this document stated:

“Having undertaken, for the Glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents, solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic; for our better ordering, and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.”

These American forefathers, in the midst of their foundational document, made their purpose clear – bringing glory to God.  They were not bashful about declaring that purpose, and used that declaration as a reliable basis for their society.  Indeed, that basis carried them successfully through the tough times that they would face.  Their faithfulness of purpose allowed them to endure and thrive.  Oh that Americans now would realize that the same faithfulness of purpose would allow us to endure and thrive today.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AS AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WE WOULD SEEK TO BRING GLORY TO GOD IN ALL THAT WE DO.  Like the pledge of those veterans of an Atlantic crossing four hundred years ago, we should purpose to bring glory to God in whatsoever we do.