Sometimes it takes the tough times to remember the important things.”
–Stephen Bly (Shadow of Legends)
“For the Lord will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the Lord; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.”
–Isaiah 51:3 (NKJV)
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I am concerned that people are not going to focus properly on the coming week. Thanksgiving is next Thursday; a day that was set aside specifically for Americans to enjoy family and be thankful for their blessings. It is a time to contemplate all the bounty that we have and be thankful for it. We are to remember God and how He cares for us.
Perhaps it is a time that we need to put aside our worries and fears (they’re not good to carry with you anyway) and bring our eyes back to a proper perspective, a view of the Almighty and His great love for us. There have been warnings issued against having too many people at your Thanksgiving dinner. That is a slap in the face of the history of this nation. Do not let fear ruin the wonderful blessings that Thanksgiving brings.
Three Scriptures come immediately to my mind as Thanksgiving approaches, two of which are found in Philippians.
“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” (1:3, NKJV)
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” (4:6, NKJV)
Often that first verse comes to me. I think of friends and family, those of the past and those who are current. I am thankful for them in how they touched my life and how they blest me just by being there and becoming part of my life. Sometimes they bring a smile to my face whether in memory or in some present deed that they have done.
The next verse should speak to all of us. Do not be anxious for there will be enough toilet paper to go around. I’ve heard that there is already a shortage and hoarding in the East. Crazy for sure, but don’t get anxious over it. Begin to be thankful. Far too often we pray without thanksgiving, yet that is to be an integral part of our prayers. God has not changed, if nothing else, be thankful for His unchanging love, His unchanging grace and mercy.
“O God! our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home!”
–Isaac Watts
That brings me to the third verse:
“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
–Lamentation 3:22-23 (KJV)
Though we may fail to be faithful, He is always faithful. That is then a great reason for us to be thankful–thankful for His faithfulness to us. God is indeed our help, in ages past, in our present situation, and in the future. He cares for His own for great is His faithfulness.