A famous evangelist once said, “When gratitude dies on the altar of a man’s heart, that man is well nigh hopeless.” Gratitude, it seems, realigns our hearts with Godly hope.
All of us tend to get off track from time to time, being pressured by the world to think and act like it does, but staying rooted in God’s Word with thankfulness toward Him keeps us centered and grounded in the fact that our God can do anything.
One of my favorite passages includes Hebrews 12:28, which says, “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping Him with holy fear and awe.” (NKJV) In other words, NOTHING can shake us because we belong to a Kingdom that stands on His unshakeable Word. What a great thought, that NOTHING can rattle us or destroy us, because we are part of a Kingdom not of this world.
Anchoring ourselves in thankfulness is similar to using “calming breaths” when we are anxious. We can experience instant peace when we remember and fully embrace the One who holds not only our fate but the entire universe in His hands!
This Thanksgiving, may we be reminded that conversing with God with thanksgiving--the very definition of prayer--can realign our hearts with His, center our thoughts, and take away our anxiety. Our Father is bigger than all the problems the world can throw at us! Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (ESV)
When God answers our prayers, He makes it obvious! Just yesterday our ministry had a very specific answer to prayer that cannot be explained away. Our staff have prayed for months that God would shake His people awake and give them a desire to reach the next generation with the Gospel. A pastor’s wife on the west coast reached out to us because she believed God spoke to her in a dream. She said her dream was filled with a long list of children’s names that just went on and on. She said she sensed God say, “I gave my blood to save these children too!” She knew she had to respond, so she began to research how to reach the next generation. We are thankful she found Next Generation IMPACT. We look forward to helping their church reach the next generation in public schools and beyond with the life-changing Gospel.
We are so grateful to God for His faithfulness to hear and answer our prayers. And we are also thankful to God FOR YOU, who have been faithful to pray and give to help in this urgent mission. May this season of Thanksgiving bring you calm and peace and hope in your hearts that God and His Kingdom are unshakeable!
-Ron Tant