by Kenneth Copeland
Most people don’t realize it, but the United States of America was
born in answer to prayer. God established it because people all over the
world started crying out to Him for a place where they could freely
worship God. As you celebrate Thanksgiving Day this year, remember God’s
provision and the miracle He brought about all because people around
the world were united in prayer.
Prayer and Thanksgiving Day
It wasn’t only people outside of the Americas who were praying for a
place of freedom to worship. Tribal peoples here were crying out to Him,
too. Even though they didn’t know His Name or His WORD, many of them
were standing under the night sky, gazing up at the stars, talking to
Him and saying, “We know You are there. But we don’t know anything about
You. Who are You, Great Spirit?”
God answered those prayers by sending that first band of believers
(people who knew His Name and carried His Book) aboard a little ship
called the Mayflower. On board that vessel those believers entered into a
covenant with Almighty God in the Name and in the blood of Jesus. Then
the first thing they did when their feet hit the shore was to pray.
It’s a good thing they did, too, because the devil hated what they
were doing. He hated the idea of giving people freedom to worship God.
If he could, he would have destroyed this nation before its birth; but
he couldn’t do it then and he can’t do it now. He was stopped by the
prayers of God’s people.
Certainly the devil has done his best to mess things up along the
way. There’s no question about that. As a result, this nation has been
through some very dark times. But even in those times, the hand of God
has prevailed—this nation has been preserved, and His purposes have been
accomplished.
God’s Provision and Thanksgiving Day
In the late 1600s, for example, when hostilities arose between the
European settlers and the tribal peoples, some cruel and terrible things
were done. Take the case of Squanto, the Indian boy who was captured,
taken to Europe and displayed in a cage as a “Savage from America.”
Certainly the devil meant that for evil, but God caused things to happen
that the devil hadn’t figured on.
The little boy escaped from his captors and found refuge in a
monastery. While there, he became fluent in English. He began reading
the Bible, and got saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit.
When he finally had the opportunity to return to his homeland in the
eastern part of the U.S., he found the colonists were having trouble
learning how to raise crops in their new climate. Some of them were on
the verge of starvation. What’s more, the Indians were attacking them,
and they were on the verge of an all-out war.
Do you know who stopped it?
That young Indian man who had been taken captive years before.
He stepped out on the battlefield and began speaking to both sides in
their own languages. He let them know he was a believer in Jesus
Christ, and instructed them to put down their weapons. Sure enough, they
held their fire.
Before long, that young man was preaching the gospel to both groups.
Under his influence, the Indians began to teach the colonists how to
work the land in the northeastern climate. In turn, the colonists began
to teach the Indians some of what they knew. For 75 years, those people
lived together in peace sharing their lives and their faith in The LORD
Jesus Christ. Their harvest celebrations together became known as
Thanksgiving Day.
As you celebrate this Thanksgiving Day, remember to thank The LORD
for His provision and to remember the important role prayer played in
our country’s formation and success. As believers we’re called to
continue to humble ourselves and pray, so The LORD will continue to heal
our land (2 Chronicles 7:14). It’s a promise He’s kept for over 200
years, and one He’ll continue to keep. Happy Thanksgiving!
KCM
No comments:
Post a Comment