Thankful

Today Americans celebrate the national holiday we call Thanksgiving. For many, although not all, it is a time to give thanks to God for His blessings in their lives. The holiday in America can be traced back to 1621 when the Pilgrims invited their indian neighbors for a three-day feast in the fall of that year to thank God for a bountiful harvest. In 1863 Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the final Thursday in November to be a national day of thanksgiving — giving thanks to God for all His blessings, in part, with these words “No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.”

Abraham Lincoln signed this proclamation but it was written by his Secretary of State, William Seward, the former governor of New York, and a well-known abolitionist. An abolitionist is someone who opposed slavery in the United States. It is likely that the “sins” Seward wrote about are the sins of slavery.

At the time of this proclamation, the United States were not united — the country was in the middle of a “civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity” (words also from the Thanksgiving Proclamation). In July of 1863, the ‘invading’ army of Northern Virginia was stopped and defeated at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. As Robert E. Lee’s army retreated, between 46,000 and 51,000 men were dead, wounded, or missing. With this defeat, in which Lee lost about a third of his army, the tide of war turned against the South.

On November 19, 1863 Lincoln traveled to the new Soldiers National Cemetery in Gettysburg and gave his famous Gettysburg address. A few days later the Union (northern part of the nation) was called to give thanks in the national holiday called ‘Thanksgiving’.

The war ended in 1865 with over a million men killed or wounded in combat.

I give this mini-history lesson to make the point that even in the midst of almost unimaginable horror, loss (one out of every 4 men who went to war never returned), and deprivation the nation was called to set aside a day for giving thanks to God for His mercy.

Today Christians around the world are still battling against horrific evil, for example, in the Middle East, and in their own personal lives. You might be one of them. The other day a Mom in our church lost one of her daughters in a car crash. What about our friends and relatives who seem to be losing their battles against cancer? Some of them are suffering intense pain. Many around the world live in poverty, have no access to medical care, lack basic necessities like clean water and adequate nutrition. Some endure what seem to be never-ending cycles of violence.

How is it possible to ‘thank God’ in the midst of these conditions? And yet, Christians who have put their trust in God, rise above these things and give thanks every day. Maybe that is the greatest miracle of the Christian faith — in spite of all that is happening to them and around them, they are thankful. It doesn’t make sense to the rest of the world.

I have met and spoken with refugees from persecution in Syria. When I ask them what I could pray for they tell me, and then add “don’t pray for the persecution to stop.” They were thankful — the Church is growing faster than ever before. I read a book produced by MD Anderson Cancer Hospital with testimonies from women who survived breast cancer. Many of the survivors wrote that cancer was the best thing that happened in their lives! They were thankful — they learned to appreciate life in a new way. Many wrote that they never knew God or His depth of love for them until they found themselves in a battle for their lives.

There is no single, simple answer to the question — “how is it possible to give thanks in the midst of all of this?”. All I can say, as someone who has suffered but not too deeply, is that God is with me always. My tears are His tears, my pain is His pain. He will never leave me or forsake me. I worship and give thanks to a God who understands, who knows. In the eye of the storm of grief, I have a God in the person of Jesus, who is close, who died so that I might be set free from slavery, who brings light into my deepest darkness, and who promises a real, tangible future in which “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21: 4 NIV). He is trustworthy to see me through this life — not without pain or sadness, but with strength, courage, dignity, and acceptance. I belong! He is my Father, I am His beloved child. I know who I am and I know where I am going. For those things, I give thanks

But many of us have relatively ‘normal’ lives. We deal with minor inconveniences. We have enough. Some of us have more than enough. Our lives flow along, day after day. It is easy in this kind of life to take every minute for granted. But this relatively peaceful, tranquil life is also a gift from God. He gives us mercy and grace. He gives us food and shelter. He protects us. I know it is a cliché, but still true: “there but for God’s grace go I.” Do I really believe that my good fortune at this point in my life is all because of my decisions, my hard work, and my intellect? No way! I am blessed, and God is the source of all of my blessings.

I try to give thanks every day. I try to live a life of gratitude. Thanksgiving, celebrated on the last Thursday in November, is a great time to get together with family, have a brief vacation from work, eat good food, and watch football. But if that is the only day we give thanks to a great, loving, and faithful God we are missing the point. We are called to be thankful for every day and in all circumstances. And this gratitude can change our hearts.

We follow a God who is powerful and present, who intervenes and changes our circumstances. Our God heals and makes whole, He brings victory out of darkness, He sets us free from temptations and demonic strongholds. Our God is not weak. We give thanks, not just because of what we have, but because of who He is — He is our strong sovereign King. We are His people, his children, and even His friends. He is not absent. He is working, changing, redeeming, and restoring the world. He has a plan for good, and His plan is inexorably unfolding in our lives and in the world around us in our lifetimes. It cannot be stopped. Nothing can stand in God’s way. He will not be thwarted, and we are included in His future when we repent and believe the Good News. Hallelujah!

Thankful for Jesus,

John