November, 2006
by Pastor Dave Speicher

There are two very significant days in the month of November – Veterans Day on November 11 and Thanksgiving Day on November 23. These are dates to remind us of all the blessings we have as a people and a nation and of the sacrifice others have made in order for us to experience the blessing of freedom and the wealth of our land.

Relating to these significant days, I found a reading entitled “Three Things” that sum up a lot of what Thanksgiving and Veterans Day are about. It goes like this…

I know three things must always be,
To keep a nation strong and free.
One is a hearthstone bright and dear,
With busy, happy loved ones near.
One is a ready heart and hand,
To love, and serve, and keep the land.
One is a worn and beaten way,
To where the people go to pray.
So long as these are kept alive,
Nation and people will survive.
God keep them always, everywhere—
The home, the heart, the place of prayer.

Throughout this month let’s be faithful in our prayers for our nation, our families, and our places of worship. Pray specifically with a thankful heart for those who are serving for the cause of freedom around the world and those who have served in years gone by. Pray for God to touch the hearts of those in authority in our nation as I Timothy 2:1-2 says: “ I urge then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” As a nation of people go to the voting polls, pray that each of us will vote in a way that will bring about God’s will even in the political arena. As you celebrate Thanksgiving Day, pray that God will increase in your heart a spirit of gratitude and thanks so that all month long you can join the Psalmist in Psalm 100 by saying from the bottom of your heart: “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Serve (or worship) the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful song. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

I pray that God will give us joyful and thankful hearts each day as we focus on His incredible blessings. I look forward to expressing that thanks and joy together each Sunday…see you then.