Today’s weather report from heaven: Sunny and bright with an abundance of light, and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Scripture: “Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”- Psalm 106:1
Insight: We can never let our finite disappointments rob us of our infinite hope- Martin Luther King Jr. I know that the Holiday Season and days like Thanksgiving can be hard for many people. They may be alone, they may be hurt from what loved ones have done to them in the past, they may be angry and not feel like giving thanks at all. My prayer for those people is to read the quote above from Martin Luther King Jr. and to ask the Lord into their hearts to help them heal and forgive, to love afresh and begin to feel the joy of giving thanks in spite of current difficulties.
These words below from the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 1:3-6 speak to the joy that should cause us to pause and truly give thanks to God for what is yet to come, no matter what are dealing with today. Listen and let God speak to you with new hope: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.”
Above in Psalm 106:1 we hear David proclaim God’s love endures forever. Peter promises us an inheritance that can “never perish, spoil or fade” and that is being kept for us right now in Heaven. We may have been let down by people who have broken promises, abandoned us, hurt us deeply to the core, but we can count on God’s love which is enduring and dependable. He will not let us down! Let us praise Him on Thanksgiving for how great and wide and deep and penetrating His love is for us! Ask Him to reveal himself to you, and he promises He will. (Matthew 7:7) Tell him your sorrows, and He will comfort you. Tell Him your loneliness and He will come alongside you. Tell Him your sins and He will forgive you. Tell Him your gratitude and praise Him with a Thankful Heart and He will be glorified and uplift you.
We can all find things to be thankful for if we try hard enough. We can be thankful for the air we breathe, the life we have been given this very day, the chance to begin anew, the food we can eat, the people who love us, the beauty around us, the sights and smells of this blessed day, our ability to forgive, to love and be loved. But most of all on Thanksgiving Day we should be thankful to God for what He has done for us in His Son Jesus Christ. Paul says it best in 1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul also exhorts us in Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
It is because of the hope we have in what is to come that we should be most Thankful! That is something that should cause us to fall on our knees and say Thank you Father, for you love us more than we can fathom and I am grateful that you proved it to me beyond a shadow of a doubt through your Son Jesus Christ. Amen!
Prayer: Father God, today we pause to give you thanks but to also praise You and rejoice in You for all that You have done for us. We recognize that this day can be hard for those who are suffering in great pain, and that maybe have experienced great loss. May you comfort them in a way that is above comprehension. We pray and give thanks in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen!
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