“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6 NIV
Soon, those of us in the United States will celebrate Thanksgiving. We remember what the Pilgrims did, thanking God for seeing them through their first year here in their settlement. They were thankful for God saving many of them, although not even half their original number. They were grateful for the crops they harvested, after suffering from hunger the year before. They were thankful for friends they had made, although many of their Native Americans neighbors were first seen as potential enemies.
God had indeed blessed those who remained. And they were thankful.
Do you ever wonder if some of those few First Thanksgiving attendees were still stewing over all that was lost?
Did they truly feel thankful in their hearts?
Did they desperately miss their former way of life? How did they handle missing their precious loved ones who were lost to the journey? Was it a struggle to set aside a day for Thanksgiving after so much loss?
Maybe you have had a wonderful year, and your heart is bursting forth with thankfulness. If so, I am so happy for you!
For those who struggle today to feel thankful, you are not alone. Often, in the midst of thanksgiving, pain is present.
We are to bring our requests before God, not with worry, but with thanksgiving. When we ponder that, is there a mental murmur of grumbling? If we have a request, it is usually not something we are joyful about. Most of our requests are concerns. Yet, the Bible is quite clear: we are to be anxious about nothing.
That includes not being anxious even if we don’t feel all the warm fuzzies of thankfulness.
God appreciates it when we can list our blessings even in the midst of brokenness and pain.
He appreciates when we can honestly list our human limitations and ask for His help and grace.
When we are at the end of ourselves, and still can’t get to a place of peace, then, He can reveal Himself to us.
We can acknowledge the blessings of today and still be mourning the loss of yesterday. We can miss someone dearly, and yet still praise God with whole hearts.
He loves us.
It’s a simple sentence, but not a simple concept to wrap our minds around. He does loves us, and yet He still allows us to have challenges in this life. These events teach us we can learn to trust Him, no matter what. He promises He will redeem everything, (Romans 8:28) and He does.
Even when it takes a lifetime.
I pray each of us can name the blessings of the present, no matter what we may have lost in the past. May our hearts heal and we indeed see the blessings of today.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, You are indeed a good Father, even in the tough times. As our focus turns toward Thanksgiving, direct our hearts to recount our blessings, even amidst the pain of loss. Help us to support those who are struggling to find joy and rejoice with those who have much to celebrate. Thank You, that we not only can, but should, eagerly come to You. You promise to carry our burdens and give us that peace that passes understanding. Thank You, In Jesus’ name, amen.