The Lord spoke these words:
"There is power in giving thanks! This is the time to give thanks for your answer, even in the midst of your problems, challenges, or troubles! There is no problem too difficult for Me! Look to Me, and give thanks in advance for the better things ahead of you. For I am close to those who put their trust in Me!"
We have been taught to give thanks for the good things that have happened to us. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, it is a good thing to do. But the Lord wants us to take one step further, that is to give thanks for the better things that are coming! Jesus did that while He was on earth! He gave thanks in advance, and Lazarus was raised up, even after being dead for four days! (John 11:41) He gave thanks in advance, and the multitudes had more than enough to eat, even with just the initial five loaves and two fish! (John 6:11)
So, people of God, go ahead and give thanks for the better things ahead of you! You don't see it happening yet, but this is the time to thank your way to better things to come! Give thanks for His divine health, whatever your health condition is at the moment! Give thanks for His supernatural providence, whatever your financial situation is at the moment! Give thanks for His wisdom and favor, whatever project or mission He has called you to do, going forward! And begin to walk in it by faith!
The Bible says in Nahum 1:7 (NLT), 'The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in Him'. The expression 'is close to' here is 'yada' in Hebrew, which can mean 'knows, recognizes, answers, cares for'. In other words, no matter what problem or trouble you are facing at the moment, the Lord knows, recognizes, answers, and cares for you!
To put it simply, He ALREADY has an answer for you! Your part is to give thanks in advance for the answer that's coming! And never limit how He is going to work it out for you!
Let's go to the book of Nahum now. At one time, in the days of prophet Nahum, no nation had been able to stand against the Assyrians. They had great military might, and they were greatly feared by the surrounding nations. In fact, they had overthrown some nations, and they were now setting their sights on Judah!
People of God, you and I are like the 'Judah' of today, a people whose praises are to the Lord. 'Judah' in Hebrew means 'praise', whereas the 'Assyrians' speak of 'the problems, challenges, or troubles' that come against you.
But thanks be to the Lord our God, because through prophet Nahum, the Lord brought comfort to Judah, and pronounced judgement on Assyria! Nahum 1:13 (NLT) says, 'Now I will break the yoke of bondage from your neck and tear off the chains of Assyrian oppression'. By the way, the name 'Nahum' ('Nakhuwm' in Hebrew) means 'comfort'; from the word 'nakham' meaning 'to comfort, to console'.
You see, invincible as the Assyrians were, only our Lord is TRULY invincible! He is all-powerful and He rules over all the earth, and of course over all the problems, challenges, or troubles that come against us! In this, we give thanks to the Lord; for He is great, and greatly to be praised!
Nahum 1:8-9 (NLT) says, 'He will sweep away His enemies in an overwhelming flood. He will pursue His foes into the darkness of night. Why are you scheming against the Lord? He will destroy you with one blow; He won't need to strike twice!' Notice the Bible says it is the Lord who will sweep away His enemies, and it is the Lord who will pursue His foes! Not you and I! Because the battle belongs to the Lord. Our part is simply to put our trust in Him, and thank Him for the victory!
So, people of God, go ahead and give thanks for your coming victory and breakthrough! Declare it by faith upon all those areas (of your life) that have come under the 'Assyrian oppression'! The Lord loves you (His children) and will be with you; but He opposes those who attempt to hurt you. And the good news is He is never too busy for you, because He is all-present! This is your time to give thanks to the Lord, because just as He had done for Judah in Nahum's days, He will do the same for you today. Amen!
