THANKSGIVING DURING A PANDEMIC

I am reading a book during my quiet times – The Prayer Encounters of Jesus by Estell Brink. Today is Saturday, 28 March and day 2 of South Africa’s lock down. On Monday, our president, Cyril Ramaphosa, made an anouncement taht our country is going into “lockdown” onThursday evening, 26 March for 21 days.

Two weeks ago, our country went into panic mode as governments all over the world began to put measures in place to slow down and hopefully stop the spread of COVID-19.  That same frenzy is once more in the air.

Sadly, that means that we as a family cannot celebrate our annual Passover Celebration over the Passover weekend with extended family and friends.   We are considering postponing it, and this is why ….

My reading this morning was titled “Christ prayed to glorify His Father”.  The chapter is all about how Jesus ALWAYS thanked and honoured His Father after He performed miracles, signs and wonders.  Here are some excerpts:

“Thanksgiving formed a large part of Jesus’ public prayer life.  Giving thanks and honour to His Father formed part of everything He did.  No matter how significant or spectacular Jesus’ actions were during His recorded ministry, or how “simple” they were, Jesus gave thanks to His Father.”

“There is no escaping this aspect of thanksgiving prayer and giving honour to our Heavenly Father in our own ministries.”

“… the offering of thanks to our Father helps us to enter through the very gates of heaven (Psalm 100:4)”

“Imagine that every time you give thanks to God, you are literally entering through the gates of heaven!  …. The one passport to experiencing heaven is thanksgiving and praise!”

So how can we pray in this time? 

PRAY THE WORD OF GOD over His people, and

THANK HIM that He is protecting us.

 THANK HIM that He is giving the scientists wisdom to find an antidote. 

THANK HIM that He is Jehovah Jireh – our Provider; 

THANK HIM that He is Jehovah Rapha – our Healer;

THANK HIM that He is  Jehovah Shalom – our Peace; 

THANK HIM that He is Jehovah Tsidkenu – our Righteousness;

THANK HIM that He is Jehovah El Roi – the God who sees.

So… what will our Passover be like this year?

Firstly, as a family, we will celebrate Passover in remembrance of the work of the cross and the sacrifice Jesus made for us to be saved, delivered and healed.

Our traditional BIG Passover meal with extended family and friends will  be postponed until the Lockdown has been lifted.  We will have a Thanksgiving Passover – what a celebration it will be. Thanksgiving, not based on the history of our ancestors, but a very real thanksgiving of how good our God is and of our own personal experience of the Lord’s hand stretched out to help us.

As we go through this time of “social distancing”, let us do what the Bible says and “draw near to God” (James 4:8).  Focus on His truth in His word and trust Him for His protection.  Don’t fill your mind and heart with the negative, fear-filled talk, but rather fill it with the truth.  Hold onto the Words of Psalm 91 and Psalm 121.

He is faithful and He will help us, just as He helped the children of Israel to get out of Egypt to go to the promised land.

Psalm 33:20-22  (NKJV)

²⁰ Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
²¹ For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
Because we have trusted in His holy name.
²² Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
Just as we hope in You.

Psalm 125:1-2

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.

Malachi 4:2 (NKJV)

² But to you who fear My name
The Sun of Righteousness shall arise
With healing in His wings;Proverbs 18:10 (NKJV)

¹⁰ The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The righteous run to it and are ^[a]safe.

¹⁰ The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The righteous run to it and are ^[a]safe.

The Prayer Encounters of Jesus – Pray like Jesus prayed by Estell Brink.  Available on Amazon Kindle