There are two verses on thanksgiving that I had to learn several times, but which are now fixed in my life. They are Philippians 4:6-7 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18.
We had the last meeting on Sunday morning, January 1, 1954. The speaker was a theology student from Germany. His text was Philippians 4:6-7. Because of his accent and the fact that he was teaching on a passage I had memorized, I decided not to pay attention to him.
He read the text and then asked the congregation these questions.
1. How many of you present our requests to God?
2. How many have their petitions answered?
3. How many of you thank God when He answers your prayers?
All of these were answered with a complete show of hands.
Then he asked this: “How many of you do not thank God until He answers?”
We were all embarrassed. None of us could raise our hands.
The speaker pointed to the text, where it says that prayers and petitions are to be made with thanksgiving. We are to thank God when we make the request.
†
It had been raining hard all weekend. After the last meeting, everyone packed up and went home. I had to stay to settle up the finances. When I was finished, I was walking up the mountain to our cabin where Bessie and Douglas (6 months old) were waiting. Right before I got there, I saw Roy Grayson with his head under the hood of his 1948 Studebaker. There was a puddle of water around each of his six spark plugs. He was trying to dry them out without much success.
The car was parked under the trees. We decided that we should push it backwards out of the trees onto the mountain road. Then Roy would jump into the car and let it run downhill out of gear. It worked. (As I watched him roll out of sight down the mountain with his car still not running, I was thankful that he was a pilot!)
When his car was out of sight, I went over to my car, a ’48 Nash. The starter was underneath the clutch. I stepped on it. The engine turned over once but would not start. I prayed and stepped on the starter again. Nothing. I prayed and tried again. Still nothing. I kept trying. Every time I stepped on the starter, I prayed.
Soon the battery was dead, and no sound came from the engine when I tried the starter. We had to get back to Monterey, and everyone else had already gone. I prayed, “God, what are trying to teach me?”
“What did you learn this morning? ‘Make your requests with thanksgiving.’”
I asked God to start the car and thanked Him for it. Nothing happened.
I confessed. “God, I was just plugging the formula.” This time, I requested and really thanked God. I stepped on the starter, and the engine roared into life.
Bessie and Douglas got in the car, and we drove down the mountain. At the bottom, I saw Roy’s car parked on the side of the road. Roy was walking towards us. I said, “Roy, I will give you a push.”
“It’s not necessary,” Roy said. “My car is going.”
“Guess how I got mine started?” I said.
“I know. You thanked God. It took me thirty minutes to think of it, too.”
I had several other opportunities to believe Philippians 4. But I had to believe something else first; that was 1 Thessalonians 5:18. When I gave thanks in all circumstances, I could rejoice in the Lord always (Phil. 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say—rejoice!”). When I was rejoicing and thanking God, then I was able to be anxious for nothing (Phil. 4:6).
This was a series of verses I would believe. Each verse caused me to believe the ones connected to it. The basic verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:18, and the key word is everything.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:6-7)I had memorized the Philippians passage sometime in 1951. From 1953-1954, I was in graduate school in Monterey, CA. At Christmastime, I helped set up an Officers’ Christian Union conference for officers and their wives at Mt. Hermon over the New Years’ weekend. I found out there was an InterVarsity staff conference happening the same weekend, so I asked the director if we could borrow their speaker. We did, and the conference was a blessing.
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thess. 5:18)
We had the last meeting on Sunday morning, January 1, 1954. The speaker was a theology student from Germany. His text was Philippians 4:6-7. Because of his accent and the fact that he was teaching on a passage I had memorized, I decided not to pay attention to him.
He read the text and then asked the congregation these questions.
1. How many of you present our requests to God?
2. How many have their petitions answered?
3. How many of you thank God when He answers your prayers?
All of these were answered with a complete show of hands.
Then he asked this: “How many of you do not thank God until He answers?”
We were all embarrassed. None of us could raise our hands.
The speaker pointed to the text, where it says that prayers and petitions are to be made with thanksgiving. We are to thank God when we make the request.
†
It had been raining hard all weekend. After the last meeting, everyone packed up and went home. I had to stay to settle up the finances. When I was finished, I was walking up the mountain to our cabin where Bessie and Douglas (6 months old) were waiting. Right before I got there, I saw Roy Grayson with his head under the hood of his 1948 Studebaker. There was a puddle of water around each of his six spark plugs. He was trying to dry them out without much success.
The car was parked under the trees. We decided that we should push it backwards out of the trees onto the mountain road. Then Roy would jump into the car and let it run downhill out of gear. It worked. (As I watched him roll out of sight down the mountain with his car still not running, I was thankful that he was a pilot!)
When his car was out of sight, I went over to my car, a ’48 Nash. The starter was underneath the clutch. I stepped on it. The engine turned over once but would not start. I prayed and stepped on the starter again. Nothing. I prayed and tried again. Still nothing. I kept trying. Every time I stepped on the starter, I prayed.
Soon the battery was dead, and no sound came from the engine when I tried the starter. We had to get back to Monterey, and everyone else had already gone. I prayed, “God, what are trying to teach me?”
“What did you learn this morning? ‘Make your requests with thanksgiving.’”
I asked God to start the car and thanked Him for it. Nothing happened.
I confessed. “God, I was just plugging the formula.” This time, I requested and really thanked God. I stepped on the starter, and the engine roared into life.
Bessie and Douglas got in the car, and we drove down the mountain. At the bottom, I saw Roy’s car parked on the side of the road. Roy was walking towards us. I said, “Roy, I will give you a push.”
“It’s not necessary,” Roy said. “My car is going.”
“Guess how I got mine started?” I said.
“I know. You thanked God. It took me thirty minutes to think of it, too.”
I had several other opportunities to believe Philippians 4. But I had to believe something else first; that was 1 Thessalonians 5:18. When I gave thanks in all circumstances, I could rejoice in the Lord always (Phil. 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say—rejoice!”). When I was rejoicing and thanking God, then I was able to be anxious for nothing (Phil. 4:6).
This was a series of verses I would believe. Each verse caused me to believe the ones connected to it. The basic verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:18, and the key word is everything.
In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (NKJV)
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