Let Us Give Thanks

November 20, 2018

President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a day of thanksgiving with these words: “The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added . . . No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People.

I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, 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 as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.”

Our year HAS been filled with blessings. Lincoln reminds us that all of these come from the bountiful hand of our merciful God, even though we often forget He is the Source. Our nation has experienced many blessings. Your family has. NewPointe has. When we offer thanks this year, let’s thank Him together for what God is doing for us as His people.

• We are regularly seeing hearts made new, lives transformed, marriages restored, addictions broken.
• NewPointe has seen God stretch our hearts so that our prayers and efforts include so many beyond ourselves. We are in the midst of a tremendous campaign to bless the world.
• We are giving with joy to enlarge our facilities so we can better serve the people of Ohio in the communities God has given us.
• We are giving with a heart for the entire world, and expecting God to use our gifts to change lives and destinies.

We are so thankful to be blessed enough to do this.

Individually and as a community of God we have seen God comfort our sorrows, walk with us through our valleys, rejoice with us in our successes and celebrate our many victories. We agree, no human hand could have designed or worked out these things. We give thanks to our good, good Father! NewPointe is abundantly blessed.

Lincoln’s other words seem particularly appropriate for us this year as well. President Lincoln said that while we are giving thanks, we should also repent for our “national perverseness and disobedience.” I don’t believe there has ever been a time when that more clearly described our cultural mindset. We need to be like Nehemiah and bear the burden of where we are. Repent before the Lord for our national sins, and ask God with His Almighty Hand to heal our national wounds and restore us.
Lincoln urged the people to pray for “full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.” Can you imagine anything better in our homes, our church, our community, our nation, and our world? Let us give thanks and pray.