As many people prepare to gather this month to celebrate the national holiday of Thanksgiving, thoughts turn primarily to the meal: mouth-watering turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, greens, sweet potato or pumpkin pie, etc. It is a very exciting time of the year with many preparing to travel to distant places to fellowship with family and friends. It’s a time when some families ask their guests to state something for which they are thankful.
It can be so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life with its stresses and challenges that one can forget to thank God for His bountiful blessings. I want to remind us to remember to be thankful every day from morning to night. As Jeremiah states in Lamentations 3:22-23, it is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed; they are new every morning. The psalmist encourages us in many of the psalms to give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy endures forever (Psalms 136:1-3; 106:1) and to enter into His gates with thanksgiving (Psalms 100:4-5). Paul reminds us to be thankful in everything (Philippians 4:6; I Thessalonians 5:16-17). There are many characters in the bible who remembered to thank God for His blessings, including Miriam (Exodus 15:20-21); Hannah (I Samuel 2:1-10); Elizabeth (Luke 1:24-25), to name a few.
It is my prayer that all of us will enjoy and be thankful for the blessings we receive this season and every day.
Happy Thanksgiving!
