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Psalm 100:4 “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

The following Thanksgiving Proclamation, America’s first, was issued by the Continental Congress on November 1^st, 1777:

“FORASMUCH as it is the indispensable Duty of all Men to adore the superintending Providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with Gratitude their Obligation to him for Benefits received, and to implore such farther Blessings as they stand in Need of: And it having pleased him in his abundant Mercy, not only to continue to us the innumerable Bounties of his common Providence; but also to smile upon us in the Prosecution of a just and necessary War, for the Defense and Establishment of our unalienable Rights and Liberties; particularly in that he hath been pleased, in so great a Measure, to prosper the Means used for the Support of our Troops, and to crown our Arms with most signal success:

It is therefore recommended to the legislative or executive Powers of these UNITED STATES to set apart THURSDAY, the eighteenth Day of December next, for SOLEMN THANKSGIVING and PRAISE: That at one Time and with one Voice, the good People may express the grateful Feelings of their Hearts, and consecrate themselves to the Service of their Divine Benefactor; and that, together with their sincere Acknowledgments and Offerings, they may join the penitent Confession of their manifold Sins, whereby they had forfeited every Favor; and their humble and earnest Supplication that it may please GOD through the Merits of JESUS CHRIST, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of Remembrance; That it may please him graciously to afford his Blessing on the Governments of these States respectively, and prosper the public Council of the whole: To inspire our Commanders, both by Land and Sea, and all under them, with that Wisdom and Fortitude which may render them fit Instruments, under the Providence of Almighty GOD, to secure for these United States, the greatest of all human Blessings, INDEPENDENCE and PEACE: That it may please him, to prosper the Trade and Manufactures of the People, and the Labor of the Husbandman, that our Land may yield its Increase: To take Schools and Seminaries of Education, so necessary for cultivating the Principles of true Liberty, Virtue and Piety, under his nurturing Hand; and to prosper the Means of Religion, for the promotion and enlargement of that Kingdom, which consisteth ‘in Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost.’

And it is further recommended, That servile Labor, and such Recreation, as, though at other Times innocent, may be unbecoming the Purpose of this Appointment, be omitted on so solemn an Occasion.”

The Continental Congress recognized our profound obligation to God. They encouraged us to praise and worship Him with one heart and one voice out of gratefulness. They recognized they we don’t deserve His mercy, and encouraged our repentance.

EVEN AFTER THANKSGIVING, PLEASE CONTINUE TO BLESS HIS NAME. It is our indispensible duty!

SET YOUR ALARM: If you’re alarmed (that the scene on Black Friday belies a spirit of thankfulness and contentment), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!

Psalm 9:1-4 “I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all they marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High. When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence. For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.”

The following proclamation was issued by the President of Congress on October 26^th, 1781:

“Whereas it hath pleased Almighty God, the Father of Mercies, remarkably to assist and support the United States of America in their important struggle for liberty against the long-continued efforts of a powerful nation, it is the duty of all ranks to observe and thankfully acknowledge the interpositions of his Providence in their behalf; Through the whole of the contest from its first rise to this time the influence of Divine Providence may be clearly perceived in many signal instances, of which we mention but a few:

In revealing the counsels of our enemies, when the discoveries were seasonable and important, and the means seemingly inadequate or fortuitous.

In preserving and even improving the union of the several states on the breach of which our enemies placed their greatest dependence,

In increasing the number and adding to the zeal and attachment of friends of liberty,

In granting remarkable deliverances and blessings with the most signal success, when affairs seemed to have the most discouraging appearance,

In raising up for us a most powerful and generous ally in one of the first of European Powers,

In confounding the counsels of our enemies and suffering them to pursue such measures a shave most directly contributed to frustrate their own desires and expectations: above all

In making their extreme cruelty to the inhabitants of those states when in their power and their savage devastation of property the very means of cementing our Union and adding vigor to every effort in opposition to them; and as we cannot help leading the good people of these states to a retrospect on the events which have taken place since the beginning of the war so we may recommend in a particular manner to their observation the goodness of God in the year now drawing to a conclusion in which the Confederation of the United States has been completed,

In which there have been so many instances of prowess and success in our armies, particularly in the southern states, where, notwithstanding the difficulties with which they had to struggle, they have recovered the whole country which the enemy had overrun, leaving them only a post or two on or near the sea,

In which we have been so powerfully and effectually assisted by our allies, while in all the unjust operations, the most perfect harmony has subsisted in the allied army: In which there has been so plentiful a harvest, and so great abundance of the fruits of the earth of every kin, as not only enable us easily to supply the wants of our army, but gives comfort and happiness to the whole people,

And in which, after the success of our allies by sea, a general of the first rank with his whole army has been captured by the allied forces under the direction of our commander-in-chief.

It is therefore recommended to the several states to set apart the THIRTEENTH day of DECEMBER next, to be religiously observed as a day of THANKSGIVING and PRAYER; that all the people may assemble on that day with grateful hearts to celebrate the praises of our glorious Benefactor, to confess our manifold sins, to offer up our most fervent supplications to the God of all grace that it may please Him to pardon our offense, and incline our hearts for the future, to keep all His laws, to comfort and relieve all our brethren who are in distress or captivity, to prosper our husbandmen, and give strength to all engaged in lawful commerce; to impart wisdom and integrity to our counselors, judgment and fortitude to our officers and soldiers; to protect and prosper our illustrious ally and favor our united exertions for the speedy establishment of a safe, honorable, and lasting peace, to bless our seminaries of learning, and cause the knowledge of God to cover the earth as the waters cover the seas.”

This proclamation, signed a week after the monumental American victory at Yorktown, is filled with specific reasons why the colonists should be thankful. Our day of Thanksgiving should be filled with the same.

We should pray and give praise for delivery out of discouraging circumstances. We should pray and give praise for improving zeal and unity with like-minded believers. We should pray and give praise for allies that are joining our cause. We should pray and give praise for situations that confound our adversaries. We should pray and give praise for conditions the reveal the cruel ideology of our enemies.

PLEASE PRAY AND GIVE PRAISE FOR THE MANY SPECIFIC BLESSINGS IN OUR LIVES. It is the duty of all ranks to do so. Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Please click on the following links to see previous posts on Thanksgiving:
https://prayatlunch.us/give-thanks/
https://prayatlunch.us/a-good-god/
https://prayatlunch.us/by-our-prayers-and-our-gratitude/
https://prayatlunch.us/thanksgiving/
https://prayatlunch.us/common-days/
https://prayatlunch.us/contentment/

Romans 1:21 “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

This coming week we celebrate Thanksgiving. American history is filled with Thanksgiving proclamations (I will use the 1777 and 1781 ones in the following posts) that help us remember the true spirit of this quintessential, Bible-based American holiday. I especially appreciate the characteristic of Thanksgiving that makes it different from all other holidays.

Thanksgiving is the only holiday that carries with it an explicit obligation – to reach out to the Lord in humble thankfulness. It is a day not about celebration, but all about praise. May we take this obligation seriously!

This isn’t a day in which our focus should be on watching enjoyable football or festive parades. It isn’t a day in which our focus should be on feasting on wonderful food. It isn’t even a day in which we should focus on celebrating with family and friends. None of these things are bad and they can all be incorporated into Thanksgiving, but they don’t fulfill the obligation that accompanies this day.

It is a day to give thanks. We should never turn it into anything else. We certainly shouldn’t turn it into “turkey day” or whatever secular culture uses to mask the meaning of a day where our true focus should be upward and nowhere else.

PLEASE SPEND THANKSGIVING IN HUMBLE PRAISE TO THE LORD. Don’t let the fourth Thursday of November slip by without meeting the obligation that this day demands.

SET YOUR ALARM: If you’re alarmed (that a lack of faithfulness makes our nation more vulnerable), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!

Exodus 20:1-2 “And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”

Writing for the minority in the Stone v. Graham decision (see the previous post), Justice Rehnquist reasoned:

“The Establishment Clause does not require that the public sector be insulated from all things which may have a religious significance or origin.”

Additionally, Justice Rehnquist argued the following:

“The Ten Commandments have had a significant impact on the development of secular legal codes of the Western World.”

Yet, in an attempt to insulate the public sector from all things that have religious significance, the Supreme Court removed from our view the entire basis of Western law. Without such a foundation, it is no surprise that we now hopelessly flounder as a society.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICA WOULD RETURN TO ITS BIBLICAL FOUNDATION. Without being affixed to our original foundation, we drift away from stability and towards bondage. We do so because of our inappropriate insulation from the very truths that have had a significant impact on our entire society.

Exodus 20:20 “And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.”

This week marks the 35^th anniversary of Stone v. Graham. This unfortunate Supreme Court decision struck down a 1978 Kentucky statute requiring the posting of the Ten Commandments on the walls of each public classroom in the state. The majority decision reasoned the following:

“Posting of religious texts on the wall serves no such educational function. If the posted copies of the Ten Commandments are to have any effect at all, it will be to induce the schoolchildren to read, meditate upon, perhaps to venerate and obey, the Commandments. However desirable this might be as a matter of private devotion, it is not a permissible state objective under the Establishment Clause.”

We wonder why our society faces the massive challenges of lawlessness, immorality, and rebellion. Apparently, it is neither an educational function nor a permissible state objective to focus on resolving the root cause of our nation’s problems. After all, the Supreme Court ruled that the Ten Commandments were to be removed from the walls to prevent students from obeying them. Indeed, they have stopped obeying them.

Margaret Thatcher reminded us of the following:

“If you accept freedom, you’ve got to have principles about the responsibility. You can’t do this without a biblical foundation.”

Without a biblical foundation, our nation is falling apart. Pundits contend that stricter rules, fewer rights, or more government intervention are the solution to our challenges. Yet, as the Federal Code grows so do our problems.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN STUDENTS WOULD ONCE AGAIN OBEY THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. If American students read, meditated upon, venerated, and obeyed the foundational rules of our nation then maybe we could expect a brighter future. Otherwise, we can expect nothing different than the status quo.

SET YOUR ALARM: If you’re alarmed (that in early November America is already removing Christ from Christmas), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!