Armed and Ready

“They went out at the head of the army saying, ‘Give thanks to the Lord.’”  2 Chronicles 20:21

The message was brief but alarming.  “A vast army is coming against you. It is already in En Gedi”(2 Chr 20:2).  The attack was unprovoked and undeserved, and the ones arriving as enemies should have been Israel’s allies.  The Moabites and Ammonites, descendants of Abraham’s nephew, Lot, had been spared destruction when Israel journeyed from Egypt many years before, but the present generation failed to retain gratitude for such grace, and with Israel now divided, they saw its southern section as easy prey.  

Jehoshaphat, the fifth king following David, sprang from his throne into immediate action.  “Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah”(2 Chr 20:3).  With the odds on earth against him, Jehoshaphat cried to heaven for help.  He praised God for who He was and what He had done.  He repeated Solomon’s pledge to stand before God’s temple and call out in distress.  He recounted Israel’s past obedience and restated their present plight.  And he ended his plea with the prayer which should echo often in our own uncertain hearts, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you”(2 Chr 20:12).

God delighted in the humble dependence of His people and sent His strategy through the prophet Jahaziel.  “Don’t be afraid or discouraged.  The battle is not yours but God’s.  You will not have to fight.  Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you”(2 Chr 20:17).  Grateful for the answer, Jehoshaphat and the people worshiped, went to bed, and went out the next morning to do what God said.

Since initial contact in a battle is always crucial, the fiercest fighters are usually placed up front, but that day, the soldiers carrying swords and spears marched behind a choir armed only with thanksgiving.  “Singers went out at the head of the army saying, ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever’”(2 Chr 20:21).  God’s people were grateful that though life wasn’t always good and times were often tough, His unfailing love would never let them down.

And He didn’t.  Divinely inspired ambushes caused the enemy to turn against each other in total annihilation.  “When Jehoshaphat’s army came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped”(2 Chr 20:24).  It took the Israelites three days to carry off the plunder; then they returned joyfully to Jerusalem to celebrate God’s triumph.

When difficulty comes and you don’t know what to do, stay focused on Jesus and step forward with thanksgiving.  Gratitude may seem like a strange way to get ready for battle, but more wars are won by yielding than wielding.

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world”(2 Cor. 10:4).

Give thanks. 

Morning and Evening

 “They were to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They were to do the same in the evening.”   1 Chronicles 23:30

How do you start your day?  Anxious?  Apathetic?  Exhausted?  Instead of growling at the clock, how about giving gratitude to God?  That’s the way He desires for His people to begin—and end—each day.  

In the instructions for temple worship, one duty given to the Levite helpers was to “stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord.  They were to do the same in the evening”(1 Chr 23:20).  With every sunrise and sunset someone was to be standing and showing gratefulness to God.   For what?  

For what should you be thankful in the morning?  The safety of the night(Ps. 4:8).  A God who never sleeps(Ps. 121:4). The gift of rest(Ps. 127:2).  Great faithfulness and new mercy(Lam. 3:22-23).  Ears that are open to your requests(Ps. 5:3). The grace that made you His(Eph. 2:8).  Opportunities that await as you walk God’s path(Eph. 2:10).  So in the morning, before you get going, give thanks.

 And when you stop sometime after sunset, give thanks again.  Before you fall into bed, fall on your knees and thank God for giving you strength(Ps. 29:11), for guiding your path(Ps. 48:14), for providing your food(Ps. 136:25), for His unfailing love(Ps. 36:7), for His infallible Word(Ps. 19:7), and for the grace that kept you His even though you probably sinned once and possibly several times during your waking hours(Eph. 1:7).  The end of the day calls for endless praise, and we should offer it joyfully. 

Since God’s Spirit lives in us, we are now God’s temple, and His guidelines for worship still apply.  When morning dawns and evening fades, give gratitude to God for who He is and for what He has done.

During this holiday season try giving thanks at least twice a day because two times is never too much.

Give thanks.

Give Thanks

“When you sacrifice a thank offering to the Lord…”  Leviticus 22:29

“Thank you.”  The commonly used expression when someone does something for us or gives something to us is short on words but long on meaning.  The phrase acknowledges generosity and conveys a sense of appreciation and not entitlement. Since we are people whose very breath depends upon the grace of God, gratitude should continually flow from our hearts through our lips and our lives.

Thankfulness first shows up in Scripture in the law God gave Moses for the nation of Israel.  Though not commanded as a requirement, a grateful attitude in His people was assumed by the Almighty, and He gave guidelines for a sacrificial “thank you.”  A thank offering was a type of peace offering—a sacrifice brought when all was well between you and God and you simply wanted to express your heart.  Along with meat, you would offer bread, both leavened and unleavened.  After your animal was sacrificed, the prescribed parts burned on the altar, and the designated portions given to the priest, the rest of the meat, along with the tasty leavened bread, was to be eaten in celebration that day and the next by your family and your friends.  None was to be reserved for the third say, for surely the God to whom you were giving thanks would once again provide for your needs.

Why all the ritual?  Why all the rules?  Wouldn’t giving a “thumbs up” to heaven as you walked through your tent suggest the same thing?  Why demand such effort when the offering itself was optional? 

Perhaps God wanted to remind them—and us—that gratitude must be intentional.  We must get up and go to the one to whom we are thankful because gratitude isn’t seen unless it’s shown.  Maybe God desired that thankfulness become a habit of the heart, and He knew that a family trek to the tabernacle would help shift their focus from the gift to the Giver.  And it could be that God wished to use their thankfulness to demonstrate His generosity as He gave back most of what they had brought and instructed them to enjoy it with celebration.

These days we need not bring a lamb or bake some bread, but our daily lives should be a ceaseless celebration of thankfulness to our God and to the good folks around us who share so much with us.   As we start this Thanksgiving season, make sure you make your gratitude intentional.  Make it habitual.  And make it joyful.

Your small “thank you” will make a big impact when offered freely and frequently. 

Give thanks.