Why We Should Have Thanksgiving

Many in Australia may not know that the primary and most widely celebrated family holiday in America is Thanksgiving Day. It is the day that everyone who is anyone would like to go back to his or her roots and spend the day enjoying a special traditional home cooked Thanksgiving meal with their family. No matter how far one roams from the land of his birth, this remains the case. As one with this heritage, I would like to share with you some facts about this special day and its origins.

In 1621 a little band of pilgrims, who had fled the religious persecution of an established church and sought religious freedom in a new world, paused in their struggle for survival to feast and give thanks to God for His blessings upon them. They feasted and gave thanks, in spite of the fact that the hardships involved in hewing a haven with their bare hands from the sombre, granite hills of Plymouth, had already taken the heavy toll of over half their number.

Their meal was sparse. It primarily consisted of such things as native turkey, maize, pumpkin and cranberries; food the native Indian tribes had shown them how to gather and prepare. It is said that when they sat down for that first Thanksgiving meal they found five kernels of corn on each plate. This served as a reminder of the hardships they had endured during the previous year when rations had been reduced to five kernels of corn for each person each day.

A little over 150 years later, in 1789, George Washington, the first President of the new nation, issued this national proclamation of Thanksgiving, “Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly implore His protection and favour . . .etc..” Some seventy-five years later President Abraham Lincoln made and proclaimed the last Thursday of November a perpetual national Day of Thanksgiving. Even though the nation had just lost over a million of her sons in an awful and deadly civil war, the aftermath of which would soon take the President’s own life, there was still much for which to be thankful. Those of us who have the blessings of freedom today also have much to be thankful for.

We should give thanks for the grace of God. “O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.” (Psalm 95:1))

We should give thanks for the greatness of God. “For the LORD [is] a great God, and a great King above all gods.” (Psalm 95:3)

We should give thanks for the goodness of God. Ps 100:5 “For the LORD [is] good; his mercy [is] everlasting; and his truth [endureth] to all generations.” (Psalm 100:5)

We should give thanks for the gift of God. “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” (II Cor.

9:15)

God Is Always There

What can we say in times like these to reassure those whose hearts tremble with fear and uncertainty? Is God still on His throne? Is His world still turning on the axis of His sovereignty? Is His plan for man still heading steadily toward the ultimate consummation of His eternal purpose? Has the omnipotent Creator and Ruler of this universe been deposed by the cruel and heartless acts of His evil and sinful creatures?

If He is still there, how could He allow evil to run so rampant  in our world today?  I will freely admit that the answer to this perennial and perplexing question does not come easily. Especially for those who suffer terrible and traumatic loss. But I do know God has the answer. In fact, He has written a whole book about the matter. Through the ages He has again and again given those who need it most grace and faith to understand and accept His will for their lives; no matter how perplexing and painful it may be. In all this we must never forget that the love and mercy of God can be seen even in a time of great trouble.

Such an answer is not readily understood by those who have rejected God and His Son Jesus Christ. This was highlighted in the response given by a Christian who was asked such a question by a journalist after a terrible disaster. He challenged the reporter with words to this effect: "Why do you ask such a question? Do you believe in God? Are you obeying and following Him? Are you willing to accept His will for your life?" It goes without saying that the journalist quickly changed the subject.

It is not only the precious promises of God found in His Holy Word that persuade us He will stand by those who trust Him. "[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." (Lam. 3:22- 23) But we simple Christians know that God is present in all life's experiences. We have experienced the mighty power of His arm In the good times and the bad. The frailty of our fragile mortal frame has drawn us to faith in Him again and again. We have felt the tender touch of His helping hand all along the path of life. We have known the soft sweetness of His precious presence in the lonely hours of the night watch. We have known the healing help that only He can bring in the hour of our harm and hurt. In all of this we have come to know that GOD IS ALWAYS THERE.