After the recent election results, the response I heard most often was, “I feel relieved.” We had prayed for, hoped for, and worked for a turnaround for our country while we dreaded the prospect of a different outcome. As the possibility of a renewal of Judeo-Christian-based leadership emerged, it was time for thanksgiving and a jubilant celebration.
Then it hit us. We may have won a decisive victory, but the battle isn’t over. There are concerns that the praying church will not continue praying, that we will slip back into complacency, that the necessary changes will be undermined by those who oppose God and stand against a government based on biblical values, and that the favor and freedoms we are being afforded will not turn into the revival and reformation the world so desperately needs. With all the legitimate concerns about where we go from here, it is easy to let our faith drift into fear and worry. Anxiety can creep in about the state of the church, the right government appointments, and whether America, the lost, and our prodigals are too far gone. That’s why God has called us to stand fast in faith and obedience to the Word, not worry.
Worry is from an Old English word meaning ‘strangle’ and ‘seize by the throat and tear.’ Worry chokes us. It takes the inspirational breath and God-breathed promises out of us. It displaces the Holy Spirit and constricts our ability to think clearly, essentially "squeezing the life" out of us.
Prayers with thanksgiving displace worry and bring us peace. The Bible tells us:
Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7 CSB
When we exhale (to breathe out, express) thanksgiving, it prepares us to inhale (be inspired by) the very life-giving breath of God. We can be thankful for all of God’s promises because when we pray in faith and belief according to his will (His Word) we already have what we ask for.
"When you pray and ask for something, believe that you have received it, and you will be given whatever you ask for” (Mark 11:24 GNT).
In faith, we thank God, who calls “things that are not, as though they were.” Romans 4:7 When we thank God after we’ve received in the natural realm, that’s gratitude. When we thank Him in advance, that’s faith.
To displace worry and receive all God has for us and, we can thank God:
For his provision
The Lord is my shepherd. He gives me everything I need… And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Psalm 23:1, Phil 4:19
For His love
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!
1 Chronicles 16:34
For his unshakable Kingdom
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. Hebrews 12:28
In every circumstance.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. Romans 8:28
In Worship
Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. Psalm 95:1-5
Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. 1 Chronicles 29:13
For fellowship
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16
I thank my God every time I remember you. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you. Phil 1:3, Colossians 1:3
For His redemption
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from trouble. Psalm 107:1-3
For His Holy Spirit
Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father. Ephesians 5:18-20
For everything through Jesus
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! … He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 7:25, Romans 8:32
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