In our last blog, we looked at the power of our thanksgiving to ‘seed’ the rain of blessing from heaven, in the same way that the tiny spores from the fungus rise up on the breeze and turn water vapour into drops of rain. The power of that picture stays with me, especially since the fungus which releases the spores that seed the rain, actually grows by nourishing itself on rotting matter, dead trees and leaves; things that are defunct in terms of their useful fruit bearing life.
Nature is so wonderful that one year’s dead cells become the fertilizer, compost and nourishment for the following year’s new growth. It occurred to me that for us, even in those situation where there seems to be very little ‘life’ left, or where things seem to have gone wrong for us and, as it were, have ‘died’, we can still choose to offer up our thanks for the small, less significant, but good things that we see happening in that situation.
We may, for example, have been praying for someone and the person for whom we are praying makes it clear that they do not want to hear anything about the Lord, but they may still be willing to accept friendship or be involved with us in some small way. There is still a door slightly ajar, for which we can give thanks. May be a situation, for which we are praying, takes a turn for the worst, but instead of giving up we give thanks for the things we have noticed that the Lord has done, and is doing, along the way.
Now it is important to remind ourselves that thanksgiving is not a magic wand, nor is it is a mantra, or a rain dance, which is used to invoke the god’s to send the rain, but it is about relationship. The reason that thanksgiving is so different to all these other ‘pseudo religious’ practices is that, thanksgiving is not about our human effort to wind up some kind of positivity, but it is all about creating a closer relationship with our Heavenly Father.
We said yesterday that our thanksgiving rises up to heaven, and then becomes a significant part of releasing into our world all that God has in His heart for us. Being thankful, for the smallest of encouragements, or the slightest of touches from heaven, draw us into an ever closer relationship with our Heavenly Father. As we acknowledge who He is and what He has already done, our thanksgiving turns my heart and focus from all that hasn’t happened yet, and draws me into God’s heart of love.
Our thanksgiving for the smallest of blessings, in our various challenging situations, is so powerful and, like the spores that trigger the rainfall will, I am convinced, release further blessing from God into that situation. This will not be because we have earned it, but because He loves to respond to the love and faith we are expressing. It is a powerful way in which we find ourselves ‘Touching Heaven and Changing Earth.’ And this, I believe, is because unlike doubt, discouragement and unbelief, thanksgiving is the language of heaven. As we wrote nearly a year ago now, it’s the key to entering His courts. Psalm 100:4.
In conclusion we should never give up in our praying, even when there is little sign of new life, but we should instead with our thanksgiving draw ever closer to the Lord, and then see what He will release from heaven for us in response. Remember……
‘Let your joy be a continual feast. Make your life a prayer. And in the midst of everything be always giving thanks, for this is God’s perfect plan for you in Christ Jesus.’ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.TPT.
