Yesterday I wrote that I’m jumping right over Halloween and heading straight to the Thanksgiving Holiday. I figure if Halloween (candy, costumes and god-awful movies) can begin in August, why can’t Thanksgiving.
A better question might be, why aren’t we celebrating Thanksgiving all year long? Thanksgiving is the key that opens the gates into the presence of the LORD. I truly believe that God will not grant the “awareness” of His presence to the ungrateful.
Yes, God is omnipresent, ever-present. He’s ubiquitous, present in His fullness everywhere. He is always with us. But we are not always aware of that. And, we won’t ever be aware of that if we do not unlock His Gates with thanksgiving. The psalmist wrote, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” [Ps 100:4-5]
Praise and the giving of thanks for all the good the LORD has done, for His faithfulness, for His everlasting love will unlock the awareness of His Presence to us individually. We will learn, as we praise and thank Him, how precious it is to walk together with Him. We will sense His comfort, compassion and kindness no matter how harsh the world is to us.
I’m not celebrating a holiday just because the world says I must. I’m celebrating God’s Holy Day every day! I fully intend to bask in His glory from now, today, through eternity.
Thank you, Father God, for Your infinite mercy and grace, for calling me into Your Presence, for making me Your own. Amen & Amen
