Walking, Praying, and Thanking

In Psalm 30, we find where the Psalmist is crying out to God, and offers praise and thanksgiving for His faithfulness. We can read:
10 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper!"
11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

We will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day tomorrow, and while the nature of our gatherings may look different this year, we can still remember to give thanks to God for what He has done, even in the midst of adversity.  When we are disappointed, we can allow Him to turn our despair into delight; He brings gladness in the midst of suffering, and by giving Him thanks and calling upon Him, we can enjoy His presence and gain a greater knowledge that He is with us.

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God will display His glory as His people come together to exalt His name.  Fully equipped, we can be 
called to pray and make a statement. Ephesians 6 states:
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--
19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

On this day before Thanksgiving, I think that, even though this year has had some miserable moments for so many people and has been fraught with disappointment in our nation and around the world, we can still recognize the presence of the God who has brought us through.  The body of Christ, although facing seasons of isolation, has had the opportunity to provide hope and to show people the answer to crippling fear.

We can prioritize thanksgiving and prayer as we enter into the Advent season at the conclusion of Thanksgiving weekend.  Faith Radio has an Advent Guide, our annual Christmas "Advent-ure," that is centered on the names of Jesus.  You can find it in our most recent Ministry Magazine and you can download it from our website at FaithRadio.org.  As we reflect together on the meaning of the names of Jesus, it can strengthen our faith and enrich our spiritual life. 

Leah Brinker is 18-years old and sensed God's direction to lift up the name of Jesus in her city in Coshocton County, Ohio. A CBN.com story included this quote from the teenager: 

"This year has been kind of troublesome. I lost both of my grandparents. There's been a lot of division this year and not a lot of unity," she said. "I wanted to show that we don't need to live in fear. God has a plan. I wanted to show that we can be stronger together. We don't have to live behind these barriers."

She said that she was inspired to organize the prayer walk after hearing about the Washington Prayer March organized by Franklin Graham back in September.  The Ohio walk that she organized featured 80 people who walked two-and-a-half miles.  Leah says, "I prayed to God about this...I had no idea where my starting point was, but I felt that God was leading me to do it."

The story says that, "Participants were encouraged to carry faith-based signs, bring hot drinks, and prepare to seek God. The prayer walk lasted about one hour and she said participants were grateful for the opportunity to come together." She declared, "There is something bigger than all the earthly stuff. It was important to show that God is working...it might not always show, but He definitely is..."

Leah Brinker believed that God was calling her to do something to impact her community, so she organized the prayer walk; even the local mayor and sheriff supported the idea.  And, you know, sometimes the simplest ideas can be used effectively by the Lord - the concept is not complicated, very straightforward, as a matter of fact, yet people were drawn to come out.   When He calls, we can be confident that He will provide.

One thing that was notable is that people "appreciated being together," according to Leah. Even though God has done amazing things even in a worldwide pandemic, we know that the cohesion in the Church has been adversely affected.  We can always look for ways in which God's people can come together - in-person or virtual - and pray and come before Him together.  Speaking of coming together, Faith Radio will be offering a worship opportunity next Thursday night, as the Shelly E. Johnson "Christmas is Beautiful" Virtual Concert will be heard on Faith Radio, as well as a variety of online platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, and Frazer Christian Television.  Thanksgiving and Christmas, even though they may look different this year, still offers opportunities to connect our hearts with each other and with our God in corporate prayer and worship.

Leah Brinker's "Prayer Walk 2020" is a testimony to how God's presence is needed in our communities.  The local church, in the cities or areas it is called to serve, can certainly be involved in making a strong impact - in providing leadership and being an example of the love of God.  Those who gather for the OUR Montgomery monthly prayer walk the first Saturday of every month have a heart for the River Region and a desire to see God magnified - a number of "walks" this year have been virtual in nature.  The next one is coming up one week from Saturday, on December 5.