Thanksgiving Reflections – A Heart of Thankfulness

Psalm 138: I will give Thee thanks with all my heart; I will sing praises to Thee before the gods. I will bow down toward Thy holy temple, and give thanks to Thy name for Thy lovingkindness and Thy truth; For thou hast magnified Thy word according to all Thy name. On the day I called Thou didst answer me; Thou didst make me bold with strength in my soul…For though the Lord is exalted, Yet He regards the lowly…Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt revive me…The Lord will accomplish what concerns me…

 So it is. A great many Americans are in the midst of deep trouble. That has always been true but with the gurgling economy it is true on a bigger scale. The cry of middle America is finding its way to heaven. Those who once were the bread basket so to speak, are not so full. Bank accounts have dwindled along with job security, length of work hours, and any sense of moving forward in careers or security. The covenant blessings are evaporating. How then, do faithful Christians caught in this tide, act rightly on Thanksgiving?

 The answer has everything to do with faith. Faith, the writer of Hebrews tells us is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. “ From Old Testament to New Testament nothing has changed regarding the nature of faith. It was by faith that great deeds were done. It was by faith that the elect trusted God through the impossible circumstances of often inhospitable lives. And, it was by faith that this Psalmist thanked God. He recognized that it was the Lord who “made him bold with strength in his soul.” He was confident that even if he walked “in the midst of trouble” that God would revive him. He believed by faith that the Lord would “accomplish what concerns me.”

 His extended words of thanksgiving in the Psalm reflect his faith that God is good and does all things well. He believed in spite of his circumstances that thanksgiving was in order. He perhaps understood that none of us deserve anything good, but that our gracious God has given us many good things. Hence, there is always cause to be thankful. Are you burdened? Are you poor? Are you just plain worn out?  Remember the good that God has done for you and rejoice with us in Thanksgiving.

 For Christian Culture,

 Don Schanzenbach  11-28-13