This month in UK is the month of Harvest Thanksgiving and Remembrance Day Parades, when we remember those who have fought and died to protect us. For the USA, this month is synonymous with Thanksgiving, but in actual fact remembering causes us to be thankful.

I talked with my aged grandmother today and asked her how she was and she answered simply, 'I have a lot to be thankful for.' When I think back over her life and how as a young mother of four she lost her husband and eldest son to tuberculosis. This was of course before the second world war, so there was nothing for it but to struggle on to provide for the family. Eventually remarrying and having another little girl, her new husband was killed in battle, leaving her once again with four young children to bring up alone. I am sure the fact that she is almost 100 years old and pretty fit for her age, is due, at least in part, to the fact that she has a thankful heart for how the Lord has guided and helped her through great sorrow as well as joy.

As we think back over our lives, all the times God has provided and guided, comforted us or given us great joy, we can”t help but be thankful for all He has done. In retrospect we can look over the troubled times, the difficult and painful times and be thankful, since we already know the outcome and how He carried us through. Even after Jesus performed bread-multiplying miracles by feeding 5,000 women and children (not to mention the men), healed people before their eyes, turned water into wine, still his disciples, having witnessed all of that, worried about empty pantries. Jesus rebuked them: “Do you not yet perceive or understand? Is your heart still hardened ‚Ķ‚Ķ.and do you not remember?” Mark 8:17.

Short memories harden the heart. Let us take careful note of God's blessings and be able to say with David: “I will hope continually. I will praise you more and more, my mouth shall tell of your Righteousness and your Salvation all the day. ‚Ķ.I will go in the strength of the Lord God. O God you have taught me from my youth and I will declare your strength to this generation” Psalm 71:14-18.

Recent research shows that grateful people report higher levels of positive emotion, are more satisfied with life, and have more energy. They also found being thankful lowers levels of depression and stress.¬†Furthermore, those who write down what they are thankful for and daily count their blessings, are more likely to do regular exercise and report fewer physical symptoms while being more enthusiastic, alert, and consequent. Doesn”t that sound good? We could all do with that kind of lifestyle! But I don”t think we should be surprised as the Bible tells “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

He has fed you, led you, guided, provided, and shown Himself trustworthy to continue to do so. ¬†Meditate on memories and it will make your heart thankful. If you know him you can remember his gift of Salvation and tell others about it. If you don”t know Him, be thankful He has given you another opportunity. Ask Him into your heart and life, to forgive your sin and make you His child. You will then have much more to remember to thank Him for!

After last weeks blog, I had a call telling us of a good friend who is very ill with cancer. My first reaction is, of course, to pray for her. I want God to heal her and I want Him to answer my prayer in the fastest and most positive way. I was tempted to demand, to “name it and claim it.” As the conversation continued and I was given more details of the illness, I heard a statement that changed all that!! The statement was, “She told her dad not to worry about her, as if this is what God has for her she has peace with that.”

I know this girl has a young family, she is much needed and has everything to live for. I know she would love to be healed and if God chooses to heal her physically (and I still pray to that end), she will give Him all the glory. Yet, she is accepting whatever He has for her and using her remaining time on earth concentrating on other things rather than wasting it worrying about what God is doing. That is exactly the point we rob ourselves of so much, if we continually beg or demand God for our will, instead of His Will.

David Watson, in his book “Fear No Evil” writes words he penned 48 hours before his death from cancer. He said that he wished he had spent the last months learning from his circumstances and learning a closeness to Jesus ‚Äì instead of asking God to change the circumstances. Maybe we need to learn from some of the situations God puts us in instead of naming and claiming the change.

I can hear you ask, What about His promises? He has given us so many in the Bible and they are ours to claim! I ask myself that question often as I look around at those who love God and follow him actively, yet are very poor and often don”t have enough to eat. Paul in the same chapter of Philippians 4 says, “I have learned in whatsoever state I am to be content‚Ķ I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. We all know Paul suffered immensely to bring the Gospel to Europe and to us. But he also writes in verse 19, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches.”

This is no contradiction even though it appears to be. Some of the most happy and satisfied people I have ever met are those who have very little of this world”s goods. God has supplied, first the acceptance and the peace and then the food to still the hunger. It is like the three friends of Daniel who were placed in the fiery furnace. They knew His Power and ability but were prepared that if He did not rescue them, they would still worship Him in His presence.

He will answer our prayers, He will fulfill His Promises, but it may be in a way other than what we think or would wish. Yes, we should pray and pray earnestly, but it should be according to His Will. Sometimes we know things that are His Will, like the salvation of those still unsaved, so we can continue to plead for their souls, but oftentimes we don't know what to pray for as we ought and need to let the Spirit 'present our prayers before the father'. I for one am glad He does that!

As a parent, it is always more pleasant and rewarding to give to a child who is thankful. Not that we give for that reason, but when we hear and see gratitude, we know our effort was worthwhile. As we thank God for what He has given us, for how He has cared for us, even for the difficult circumstances He has carried us through, then we give Him pleasure and glory and we gain peace, acceptance and assurance that He is in control.

Thanksgiving in the USA, a time to thank those we love for what they have done or do, a time to remember all that God has done and all He has given us, a time to accept with a loving heart His plans for us and be thankful we only have to know the last step and the next one. He knows the way that we take in between.  As we praise and worship Him, He reveals His plan and uses our experiences to help others find the way of acceptance and peace.

This week I have been challenged afresh as to my approach or attitude to God in prayer. There is a whole new teaching out there that we have to “name it and claim it” before God and at first, I was not sure if it was just me, my upbringing or what it was that makes me feel that claiming something is demanding it! I can”t imagine me being very pleased if one of my kids had named and claim something before I even gave it to them. Is that not just a little presumptuous? I would think my child was disrespectful if he demanded his rights, and I certainly don”t want to spend time and effort being disrespectful in prayer, yet neither did I want to miss something if it was important. I decided to look into this further.
I guess the first prayer to look at is the one taught by Jesus Himself to us. The model prayer in Matthew chapter 6 is full of respect and yet clearly states what we want God to do for us and in us, according to what He has promised, but also in direct relation to what we have done for others. “Thy will be done,” it is important to remember that we pray and ask according to His Will. “Give us this day our daily bread” (He has promised to provide our daily needs and we can expect He will provide in His way.) “Forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors,” I wonder how much claiming we can do on this one, as it is always easier to ask God to forgive us than it is to forgive someone who has wronged us.
I note this name/claim philosophy especially in the area of healing. When someone we love is sick then of course we want to claim every promise Christ has made for their healing. That is true! We can and should plead for them in prayer, but in a humble manner, not demanding that God answer our prayers, our way, but rather in the way which will bring the most Glory to Himself.
The Apostle Paul, was one who asked God on three different occasions to remove whatever was afflicting him. Yet, God chose not to, but rather told him that, “My Grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-9. Sometimes we can glorify Him better with our debilitation, as He gives the needed strength to carry it and to use it for His glory.
If Jesus could ask his Father to remove the cup of suffering from Him and then accept God”s Will as perfect, who are we to think we can do different? Knowing the answer would be that He had to die bearing our sin, did not however stop Jesus asking for it.
We are to “ask and it shall be given us (according to His Will), seek and we shall find (sometimes what we find might be peace in acceptance), knock and it will be opened unto us (humbly and pleadingly knocking, not barging in and demanding.) Matthew 7:7
The Shorter Catechism, which being brought up in the Highlands of Scotland, I was privileged to learn from, teaches that “Man”s Chief end is to Glorify God and enjoy Him for ever”. Larry Crabb in his book, Finding God ‚Äì isn”t that Attractive, writes, that as Christians we have changed the teaching from this to, “the chief end of God is to gratify people.” How sad!
I know this is a huge subject and don”t be surprised if I come back to it again as I work on it. I want God to answer prayer in many ways, dramatic ways, assuring ways, but most of all I want Him to be glorified, in even my prayer life. Let us ask, believing, taking comfort from His Promises and having the deep assurance that He has it all in control, and will work things out according to His Will for our greater good.

Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and strength to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24

This verse has become especially meaningful to me this week. I guess I have always known that people work better with a little encouragement rather than tons of “helpful” criticism, but this week I have watched it in practice.

We have family working here helping in our building project and one of those is a dear nephew who was born with Down”s. He is a great young man and always wants to be doing whatever the men in the family are doing.

Many of the tasks being done here are hard work and Glen is not the most able, but will he take a break?. He is determined to do every job he gets and do it perfectly. As long as he gets encouragement!!!

Being typically Irish the “uncles” are given to teasing a good bit and when they tease Glen about a job or tell him he is doing it too slow or not well enough, it is amazing to watch the light leave that young man”s eyes as he trudges through the task attempting to finish it in any way possible.

However, when he is encouraged just a little, he takes off and does his work with joy and really very precisely. Glen has a work ethic which I seldom see in people nowadays. He tries his best, and by doing so, overcomes much of his disability. Yet, without encouragement, he is not able to function nearly as well and certainly not happily.

How true this is of each and every one of us. Not that we go looking for praise for all we do, but it is so special and encouraging when someone says some appreciative words, especially when we don”t feel that what we do is worth noticing. Somehow when praised we see the job in a different light and the burden seems to suddenly get lighter.

For some reason, it is also much easier to take advice from those who have an encouraging spirit, than from one who, although happy to teach us how to do something better, is very critical of what has been done up until that point. We want to listen to the encourager and have him show us even better methods.

Sometimes, it is not easy to find something that a person is doing well, but if it is important enough to mention in the Bible, then it is obvious we are meant to use encouraging words with every person. No matter how hopeless is the work which has been done, there has to be something good we can say about it, even if it is only to tell them not to worry as it can be done again at another date. The Bible tells us to “encourage ourselves in the Lord” and the more we do that the more we will be able to encourage others.

Let us try to encourage one another by looking for the positive in every situation, meaning more will be achieved, and those we come in touch with will be more inclined to listen to what we have to say. People who have strong bones and sweet souls are good workers for the Lord and God has allowed us the privilege of strengthening others merely by encouraging them. It doesn”t take a rocket scientist, anyone of us can do it and indeed we should.