Happy Thanksgiving! On this day of food, family, friends, and football, we have a question: How are you?
Really: How are you doing? Are you overflowing with joy, happiness, and all things wonderful?
Are you stressed and anxious? Feeling the pressure of having people over, the timing of food preparation, the realization of missing ingredients, or the wrangling of children?
Are you sitting in something heavy: really heavy? Are you missing loved ones at the table? Facing news you’re not sure you can bear? Fearing you won’t make it through tomorrow?
Wherever you are on this spectrum of life, there is a gift we’d like to offer you: thanksgiving. We aren’t really talking about the origins of the holiday as much as the actual process of giving thanks.
At face value, giving thanks may not seem like a gift, but when you look a little deeper, you may find it’s one straight from the Lord.
The most true and obvious reason to give thanks is because the Lord deserves it.
Psalm 7:17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of His righteousness.
Psalm 107:1 Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever.
James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift comes from above.
He deserves it! He made us and everything we have ultimately comes from Him. He gave His son to die in our place and pay the price for our sin. He deserves more thanks and praise than we will ever be able to offer; so we give thanks!
That seems great when everything is going well, but what about the times when feeling thankful is incredibly difficult? Seemingly impossible? Sometimes we find ourselves in dark days that no one wants to walk through. We know He is good, but getting our heart on board is a different story.
On these days…He tells us to give thanks.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
On the days that are the most difficult, when it feels like being thankful is not even an option, and drawing the next breath feels like more than we can bear, thanksgiving is given to us as a mercy, a prescription, and a pathway to peace.
Philippians 4:6-7 says, ”Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God that transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Did you see that connection? The connection between thanksgiving and peace?
When we give thanks, we look at what the Lord has done.
When we look at what the Lord has done, we see His goodness.
When we see that He has been good time and time again, we are reminded of His faithfulness.
When we see He has been faithful in the past, we begin to see He will be faithful in the future.
When we see that He is always faithful, we can trust Him in our circumstances.
When we trust Him to be greater than circumstances, we can have peace.
And when we have peace, we are thankful!
Giving thanks reminds us of what the Lord has done.
It reminds us of who He is.
It reminds us that He cares for us as His children.
It keeps us in close connection with the giver.
And it reminds us that His promises are true, our circumstances are temporary, and His love and goodness are eternal.
Giving thanks reminds us of what the Lord has done.
It reminds us of who He is.
It reminds us that He cares for us as His children.
It keeps us in close connection with the giver.
And it reminds us that His promises are true, our circumstances are temporary, and His love and goodness are eternal.
So? How are you doing? We hope this Thanksgiving finds you shouting from the mountaintops; thankful with overflowing joy. But if it doesn’t, we would like to offer the gift the Lord has given through giving thanks. Try it. We think you will experience more and more of His faithfulness.
If you are going through some of those dark days, please reach out to us. We would love to walk with you as a church body. And if you don’t know the Lord or the things that He has done, but you want to know more, please let us know! We would love to tell you more about Him.
Happy Thanksgiving!