OFFICIAL SUNDAY OPEN THREAD

God, America & A Thanksgiving Like None Other

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here are, of course, all those personal reasons why this Thanksgiving may have been exceptionally wonderful — successful cancer treatment, recovery from an accident, or a repaired relationship. Then again it might have been exceptionally difficult — the first year without a loved one, the pain of a job loss, or other traumatic personal event. But somehow, and I believe more so as you get older, you sense and appreciate everything in your life there is to be grateful for.

The other day I was thinking how it all still seems so unbelievable — Donald Trump actually winning a landslide victory after four years of the worst persecution of a public figure since Mussolini was strung up in a piazza in Milan.  That might sound like an overstatement, but after the Russia Hoax, impeachments, lawfare, two assassination attempts and David Muir revealing “breaking news as we come on the air” that Trump may be Hitler — I’m not sure what constitutes hyperbole anymore.

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Now here we are winning so much, we might actually get sick of winning.  Did I really just see some of the greatest minds, not just in America, but in the world, appointed to high-ranking positions in our forthcoming government? Are Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, RFK Jr., Tulsi Gabbard and so many more donning their capes for the newly formed Justice League of America?  It’s breathtaking.

The other day I realized I hadn’t really taken the time to thank God for saving America; because that’s exactly what has just happened. The governor called and we got a reprieve; perhaps for a few years or longer if we stay in God’s good graces.

I had prayed for candidate Trump, prayed for America, prayed for God to have mercy on so many things: The 14,000 children forever altered by a sickness called woke ideology; for the repentance of women who scream for the choice to kill babies in the womb; for kids who are so busy contemplating their gender and genitalia that they aren’t reading books or writing poetry or dreaming big dreams.

It’s no wonder that by the time the election came, I was tired…and worried. And as I slowly realized that the MAGA movement and everything it stood for had actually prevailed — and no one was going to rip it from our hands — I knew I needed to stop everything and thank God.

I decided to speak to God straight from my heart; no Bible, no reading other people’s words. I sat down in my living room, lit a candle, and raised my hands in praise. I thanked Him for saving Donald Trump’s life, for keeping our country safe through a tumultuous election, and most of all for hearing our prayers these last few years. What happened next was awesome.

I was praying and singing and praising God and before I knew it, I was in the presence of the Holy Spirit. A section of my own little humble abode was filled with an overpowering presence, and I felt my prayers were deeply conveyed and deeply received.

I was conveying a soul-felt elation to God and there’s only one way I can think of to describe it:

My mother’s been gone about five years now, and was the closest person in my life. If I had the chance to see her again now, I would be crying tears of joy and rattling off everything wonderful that’s happened to me since she’s been gone — cuz she’s a mom and would want to know. I would also be telling her how much I loved her and how much she meant to me. That’s kind of how the words poured out as I was talking to God.

The rest is hard to explain, because I was in the presence of a supernatural entity who was present at the creation of the world; the Spirit who descended on Jesus in the Jordan River; the Power who came upon the disciples in the Upper Room.

For what amounted to nearly three hours I was in ecstatic prayer. Do I think I’m special? I hope we all feel special to God because we are — each wonderful individualized one of us. And I know there are millions of other people being blessed with gifts of the Holy Spirit in similar ways.

But know this, I’ve been low and brought to my knees a few times in life, begging for a sign. Through loss and sadness I’ve been comforted — but never experienced anything like this. Why now? I think it’s a big response to big prayers.

The last four years have seen Americans offering up existential prayers for their country on an unprecedented scale. Our invocations for divine assistance seemed to encompass generations of Americans going back to those first pilgrims who carried God ashore with them at Plymouth Bay. We prayed with memories of great-grandfathers and uncles and mothers who sacrificed through international wars and internal strife. We questioned, “What was it all for?”  With tear-stained faces we asked “Is this the way our country ends?  Not with a bang but a whimper?”

God has put our fears to rest with miracle after miracle. He’s also shown us a breathtaking view of  the moral landscape that lies before us, and sent us a message straight from the book of Ephesians: Put on the full armor of God. The battle isn’t over, but at least we know who will be fighting on our side. For that simple and profound revelation, let us send up some big bold prayers of thanksgiving this year. ✪