Thanksgiving is only a few days away. It is one of the most loved and celebrated days in our nation. People love the food, the friendship, the fellowship, the family time. It is a day that’s been set aside to give thanks; to praise and thank God for all He’s done for us. One day a year! Yet Psalm 68:19 says, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.” Daily – every single day – God loads us up with benefits. To load something means there’s a lot of it. A load of firewood – that means it’s a big pile. So every day, God piles on the blessings.
When I was a kid and someone did something nice for me, my mother would say, “Marjie, what do you say?” I knew what that meant. She was reminding me to be grateful, and someone who is grateful says “thank you.” You know, she reminded me every time, and every single time she expected me to say thank you, even if the same person did something nice for me eight or ten times in the same day. I wasn’t allowed to store up all my “thank yous” until a given day in the year and give them all at once. And God doesn’t want us to do that, either. Ephesians 5:20 says, “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;” Always doesn’t mean just once a year; it means constantly.
Now, I know I’m preaching to the choir. Because the people reading this probably already recognize God’s daily blessings and give Him thanks on a regular and continual basis. But I believe that those who don’t acknowledge their blessings throughout the year don’t acknowledge them on Thanksgiving Day, either. It’s simply not something they choose to think about. I think the main reason is because they’re not thankful. Whereas Thanksgiving Day used to be a day to give heart-felt thanks to our Lord for His continual blessings, today it is a day of feasting, fellowship, and football.
This year, as we gather around the table to thank the Lord for the food, let’s remember to pray for those in war-torn countries, believers imprisoned for their faith, families displaced because of ISIL, Israel and their fight against the Muslim terrorists, Kurdistan fighters at war simply to protect their families and homeland, peace in St. Louis and for the grand jury to have the courage to make the right decision despite the threat of violent rioters. Our world is not at peace. If you have peace in your life, in your home, in your job, with your family, and with God, you are truly blessed. Thank God for your blessings and remember to pray for those who aren’t as fortunate.