Thanksgiving Override

Does everyone know what an override is? An override is an interruption of normal processes that are otherwise automatic. In the computer world, an override is a command you issues to the machine to interrupt whatever the current processes are to introduce a change of instruction. Your computer at home, your phone, your tablet, your car all have automatic processes that run the moment you power on the device. An override changes or halts those processes so a new process can be introduced.

The book of Philippians is a letter written by the apostle Paul to encourage the Philippian church and continue to teach them. In the beginning of chapter 4, he encourages them to stand firm in the faith. That is, to be unwavering in the truth. There were two women whose conflict was unknown, but Paul called them to live in harmony with one another. To live in harmony literally means to be of the same mind. There is this call to stand firm on the truth but also in unity. He then asks an unknown reader to aid in this effort.

It is from here we jump in to verse 4:

Philippians 4:4–7 NASB95

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

This passage begins with a command to rejoice. To rejoice is to be glad. The theme of rejoicing shows up several times in this book. In Phil 1:18 Paul rejoices that though motives are not always right, the gospel is being preached. In Phil 2:17-18 Paul rejoices that his suffering for the gospel advances the gospel. Rejoicing is celebratory. It is to be in a state of happiness. So Paul issues the command twice to rejoice. This is a big deal considering that he pens this letter from prison. Paul is not a free man. It would be easy to look at his circumstances and not rejoice, but he finds reasons to rejoice in spite of his circumstances.

Rejoicing often requires a change in perspective. It requires an override of what is going on in your life and shifting focus to God’s perspective. We often lose God’s perspective when we neglect our relationship with him. We begin to focus on the things we don’t have or might not have rather than the things we do have. Isn’t it always interesting that if you look around there are people who have less but have greater joy? Some of the happiest people I have ever met are the ones who had less. Joy does not come from the things we acquire, but from contentment in the Lord’s provision.

Having commanded the Philippian church to rejoice, Paul says to let their gentle spirit be known to all men. Gentleness is one of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:23. Gentleness should be evident in the life of every believer. As the seed of the indwelling Spirit takes root, the fruit it produces, among others, is gentleness.

But gentleness does not mean we compromise on the truth or let people walk all over us. Christians are not called to be pushovers. We are called to stand on the truth and count the cost. Gentleness is made known, or experienced by others in the way we respond to situations requiring us to speak truth into them. We are called to stand on the truth as Peter says in 1 Peter 3:15

1 Peter 3:15 NASB95

but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

Notice the last clause in that sentence: yet with gentleness and reverence. How are your family members going to experience your gentle spirit this week at Thanksgiving? I imagine everybody in this room has people in their lives that you are going to see this week that don’t see eye to eye and it will be easy to simply avoid certain topics. That’s easier said than done. So if you find yourself in a tense situation, how might your gentle spirit be made known to those around you?

Next, Paul encourages the church to be anxious for nothing. Again, easier said than done. Everybody gets anxious. These days it seems there is more anxiety than ever. While that may be true, or perhaps we are just more aware, anxiety is not the place in which we should stay. It is a place in which we should run to Jesus for deliverance. Being anxious for nothing requires a personal relationship with the Lord.

Rather than anxiety, the solution, Paul says, is prayer. Prayer in its most basic sense is conversing with the Almighty. There are no magic words you have to say or a formula you must follow. It is simple, honest conversation with the Lord. We see two words here that at face value might seem like interchangeable terms. The first word, prayer, is that general use word for the activity of prayer. The second word, supplication, speaks of an intense form of prayer. It carries the idea of begging earnestly before God. It carries with it a sense of urgency. When was the last time you just cried out before the Lord asking him to intervene in your life?

He says in everything do this, but with thanksgiving. So many times in our lives we turn to the Lord for a list of wants and ask him to give us these things as if he were a genie granting wishes. But God is not a genie here to grant your every wish. He is the king of heaven who is worthy of our worship. He bestows good gifts to his children. Like I said earlier, Joy is not found in what we acquire, but in our contentment in the Lord’s provision. Thanksgiving is a mindset that all believers can have when their focus is on the Lord and his provision.

Thanksgiving is a day in which we pause to give thanks to God for his provision over the past year. The reality is that we should live that way every day of our lives. Giving thanks to God is not an annual exercise, but a daily recognition that everything we have comes from him. To do this often requires an override in our thinking and in our behaviors. It requires an interruption in the normal flow of things so we give the proper thanks to the one who deserves it for his provision. Without him we would have nothing. Because of him, we will always have what we need.

I find that the more thankful I am to God for the things I have, the less worried I am about the things I do not have or the things I could possibly lose. Prayer has a way of realigning our minds to the things that are truly important. It is a constant lesson and a beautiful opportunity to converse with the king at any point you want. So it is with thanksgiving that we make our requests known to God through the activity of payer and supplication. God wants to hear your heart. He wants you to cry out to him. He is your Creator and your Father. He can supply anything you need.

And the result? If you make your requests known to God through the avenue of prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, what is the result? “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” When we pray in this way, we have the peace of God, knowing that he holds the future and he supplies our needs. This peace is beyond us. We cannot exhaust it. We cannot fully grasp the peace that comes from resting in God’s will, knowing that he will provide for us.

Such peace guards our hearts and minds, that is, it provides security to us. Security from what? If prayer has a way of aligning you with the truth about who God is and what he has done and will do for you, then the peace of God surely protects our hearts and our minds from error. When we understand what is true, we are less swayed by the devil’s lies. We are not carried away by false teaching. We are not carried away by our anxieties. We put them in their place. Remember that this is not the absence of struggles, but it redefines how we handle them. With God, we are overcomers.

The holidays can be a time of stress and anxiety for many. Some more superficial than others, but important nonetheless. For some of us, we’re simply worried about having the right ingredients for our green bean casserole or making sure the turkey doesn’t get left in the oven too long. For some of us, it might be sitting across the table from that family member we don’t always get along with. I know people who will be spending Thanksgiving together without a loved one for the first time because he or she passed away this year. But the cure for those anxieties are the same. In everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

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