Dear People Who Keep Company with God,
When the first English colonist landed in the United States 400 years ago it would have been expected that they would claim the land for king and country. Instead, Robert Hunt the Anglican minister with the party claimed the land for the glory of Jesus Christ, probably never supposing the far reaching effect of that dedication.
Although the pilgrims came to the New World escaping religious persecution, they saw themselves as establishing a base from which the gospel would be sent to reach the nations of the world. This is our divine purpose and the very reason we exist as a nation, it is truly a sacred trust.
The thanksgiving celebration began as a feast in the early days of the American colonies to express their heart of thankfulness toward God. After the United States became an independent country, Congress recommended one yearly day of thanksgiving for the whole nation to celebrate. George Washington suggested the date November 26 as Thanksgiving Day. Many of us may not realize that Thanksgiving was not officially proclaimed a legal national holiday until 1863 during one the darkest hours our nation has yet faced.
During the first week of July in 1863 the Battle of Gettysburg occurred, resulting in the loss of approximately 60,000 lives. It was while Lincoln was walking among the thousands of graves there at Gettysburg that he committed his life to Christ. As he explained to a friend: “When I left Springfield [to assume the Presidency] I asked the people to pray for me. I was not a Christian. When I buried my son, the severest trial of my life, I was not a Christian. But when I went to Gettysburg and saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ.” The thousands of graves at Gettysburg stood as a witness of the inevitable consequences of a young nation born for the purposes of God, but in her short history had lost her way and was becoming increasingly darkened.
Romans 1:18-21
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile ( meaning without purpose, bw) in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. It was out of this national tragedy that Lincoln not only turned to Christ, but He also proclaimed that our nation should set aside a day to glorify God and be thankful. From this proclamation Thanksgiving Day became a legal national holiday. However, this was not the only point of Lincoln’s proclamation. He also proclaimed that Thanksgiving Day would be a time for us to humble ourselves as a nation and repent for our perverseness and disobedience, to pray for the victims of such sins and the healing and restoration of our nation.
“with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it” (from Lincoln’s 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation).
As the heirs of the original colonist we should consider that we have been handed a sacred trust. We should recognize that just as in Lincoln’s time the enemy is trying to destroy the fruit of our forefather’s dedications.
As we gather to celebrate Thanksgiving let’s glorify God and be thankful as He is truly worthy, but let’s also remember to humble ourselves, repent on behalf of our nation’s sin (Ezra 9), pray for the victims of such sins and ask the Lord to bring revival and spiritual awakening so that our nation may be healed and fulfill her divine purpose.
Have a Blessed Thanksgiving, BW