November 26, 2012

Thankful to the God of Rain and Bees!

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with our family … at least those who could come! I shared that two events this year have informed my notion of gratefulness.

The first was an interview I read with a drought stricken farmer in Arizona. The interviewer asked what the American people could do to help. The farmer replied that there are many problems associated with drought, but only one answer: “They could pray for rain,” he said soberly. Then with a tear in his eye the farmer followed, “but I don’t know if Americans pray much anymore.”

The second was my own interview with a beekeeper. Actually, he’s the president of the Michigan Beekeepers Association. We talked about the disease that is wiping out honey bees. I’d heard about it sometime ago, but figured by now “they” must have figured it out … they didn’t. They aren’t even sure what it is they are dealing with, only that there are less bees available to pollinate plants. In fact, they now ship bees across the USA throughout the pollinating season to help in different parts of the country. He said, as an example, there are barely enough bees in the entire country to pollinate all the crops in California alone.

Thanksgiving, calendar-wise, corresponds to the Jewish Festival of Booths, a yearly celebration of harvest. For the entire week of this joyous festival, old & young, rich & poor live in “booths” fashioned from the branches and leaves of tree saplings as a reminder that they both share a common conception: the Lord is the Maker of them all! The climax of the festival is the pouring of the water and wine to signify man’s utter dependence on and collaboration with God to supply all his needs.

What a contrast with the pitiable dependence more and more Americans are putting in the ever-growing Federal U.S. Government. No matter how many examples put forth of the generous spirit of Americans to help their fellows in time of need – without coercion or credit – the ranks swell with increasing clamor to make all the hardships of life a justification for more government “help.” Rather than seeing that we are in this together sharing the benefits of God’s wondrous bounty called the USA, the worst amongst us take Difficulty’s moment to inflame the darkest in our souls.

Daily I talk with good folks who are frustrated with the state of things here in the USA. One farmer told me we must get out of the way and let this country “burn” to teach people a lesson! I might agree with him if I knew in my own heart I had done everything I could do to persuade my neighbor (beginning with my own “neighbor” sons and grand-sons) of the power of a grateful heart! Maybe the turning of the USA might begin with one good man who gives an appropriate amount of time to humbly express before his own family that he is unafraid to joyously thank God; an expression that shames any devotion to football and Friday shopping sprees.

What impact if every young man and woman could both see in action and hear from the lips of the guardians of their souls this common prayer at the Festival of Booths:


>“God, You have chosen us from among all nations, You have loved us and desired us. You have not chosen us because we are more numerous than others, or because of our righteousness or our wisdom. Only because of Your love for us – an abiding love which is not dependent upon anything. What can man do on his own? And if he is righteous, of what benefit is this for You? Because You desired us – not because of our merits – we are all equal in Your eyes. We should all therefore see each other as equals, love each other wholeheartedly with a love that is not dependent upon anything and which will last for eternity.”

Let us make Thanksgiving more than a fleeting “amen” at the end of Uncle Joe’s dinner prayer. Let us give ourselves wholly – mind, body, spirit – to love and praise the God from whom all blessings flow! Let us work to help our sons & daughters, neighbors and communities realize everything we have comes from the hands of our great and generous Maker who calls us to live daily as if our lives depended on Him!

Let us be grateful especially for the rain and bees which remind us that we have a very tenuous grip on life without God’s blessing and protection!

Who We Are

The Patriot Post is a highly acclaimed weekday digest of news analysis, policy and opinion written from the heartland — as opposed to the MSM’s ubiquitous Beltway echo chambers — for grassroots leaders nationwide. More

What We Offer

On the Web

We provide solid conservative perspective on the most important issues, including analysis, opinion columns, headline summaries, memes, cartoons and much more.

Via Email

Choose our full-length Digest or our quick-reading Snapshot for a summary of important news. We also offer Cartoons & Memes on Monday and Alexander’s column on Wednesday.

Our Mission

The Patriot Post is steadfast in our mission to extend the endowment of Liberty to the next generation by advocating for individual rights and responsibilities, supporting the restoration of constitutional limits on government and the judiciary, and promoting free enterprise, national defense and traditional American values. We are a rock-solid conservative touchstone for the expanding ranks of grassroots Americans Patriots from all walks of life. Our mission and operation budgets are not financed by any political or special interest groups, and to protect our editorial integrity, we accept no advertising. We are sustained solely by you. Please support The Patriot Fund today!


The Patriot Post and Patriot Foundation Trust, in keeping with our Military Mission of Service to our uniformed service members and veterans, are proud to support and promote the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, both the Honoring the Sacrifice and Warrior Freedom Service Dogs aiding wounded veterans, the National Veterans Entrepreneurship Program, the Folds of Honor outreach, and Officer Christian Fellowship, the Air University Foundation, and Naval War College Foundation, and the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13)

★ PUBLIUS ★

“Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!” —George Washington

Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray also for the protection of our Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Please lift up your Patriot team and our mission to support and defend our Republic's Founding Principle of Liberty, that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

The Patriot Post is protected speech, as enumerated in the First Amendment and enforced by the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, in accordance with the endowed and unalienable Rights of All Mankind.

Copyright © 2024 The Patriot Post. All Rights Reserved.

The Patriot Post does not support Internet Explorer. We recommend installing the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.