A Pastoral Meditation for Thanksgiving

A Holiday in a Season of Barrenness

In Wisconsin, where I serve as a pastor, we have entered the time of year when the leaves are off the trees – which means that November has arrived. In the North Country, November is kind of like April. It’s a month where there is less beauty in nature because of the barrenness of the landscape. There are many things we tend to dislike about winter (the cold, for one!), but the dazzling snow is always a wonder to see, and November usually lacks that, even if we see an occasional snowfall. But even though the scenery of this month is lacking, one of the biggest holidays of the year falls in this month. That of course is Thanksgiving.

A Uniquely American Holiday

The Thanksgiving we’re most familiar with took place four hundred years ago at Plymouth Plantation in 1621. The Pilgrims marked this day as one of thanksgiving to God for empowering them to cross the Atlantic Ocean and enter their new lives in the “New World.” The Thanksgiving holiday became official in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln set it aside as a day of gratitude to God for our many blessings in America. This uniquely American holiday makes sense for a nation founded on biblical principles – a holiday set aside to give thanks to the God of the Bible. We are blessed to live in such a nation.

A Holiday Set Aside for Gratefulness

In the present day, if you ask people what they are most thankful for they will likely leave out the elephant in the room. People may say their family, job, health, or hobbies but typically the Giver of these gifts is left out. This Thanksgiving, be sure to approach gratitude in the right manner, not only for this month but every month of the year. When people ask, “What is the will of God for my life?” one of the clearest answers in Scripture comes from Paul’s letter to the church in Thessalonica. There he wrote, Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). The Lord’s plan is for us to give thanks in every season whether high or low (Philippians 4:12). As Christians, our lives should be full of thanksgiving, but November is a good time to give special attention to this holy practice. Godly people are grateful people.

A Holiday of Gratitude for God’s Greatness and Goodness

The first area we should thank and praise God is for who He is and what He has done for us. The Lord is worthy of our praise because of his greatness and goodness. King David wrote Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised (Psalm 145:3) and, I give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness (Psalm 138:2). The Lord is worthy of our praise because he is the greatest being there is. There is none greater than He (Jeremiah 10:6). We should also give him thanks because we experience his goodness on a daily basis (Psalm 34:8).

A Holiday of Gratitude for God’s Salvation

Every genuine Christian can tell of His great works in their lives. We’ve experienced His goodness toward us firsthand. The greatest work He performed was saving us when He sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins (John 3:16). We need to continually thank him for rescuing us from the dreadful position we were once in (Ephesians 2:1-3). The apostle Paul knew the glorious work that God performed in saving us. In gratitude, he wrote, Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:12-14). We come into this world as enemies of a holy God (Romans 5:10), but His grace shown in Christ is what delivers us from that hopeless state. As Paul writes, For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). The gift of salvation is the greatest gift we will ever receive. We should thank the Lord for rescuing us and bringing us into his eternal happiness (Matthew 25:21).

A Holiday of Gratitude for God’s Earthly Blessings

We should also thank the Lord for his earthly blessings. He richly blesses us in so many ways (Proverbs 10:22), and these are to be enjoyed as we give thanks (1 Timothy 4:3-5). As we look also at God’s daily provision in the details of our earthly lives, we have much to be thankful for (Ephesians 5:20). God cares for us (Matthew 6:25-34). We do not have to fear lack of rain or lack of sun (Matthew 5:45). We should thank him that we can live and eat and go on with our lives. Scripture tells us that He himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything (Acts 17:25). In His instruction on the vine and the branches, Jesus tells us that, apart from him we can do nothing (John 15:5). That particular context is referring to spiritual growth, but like the verse from Acts mentioned above we can do nothing apart from God. 

I met a man a few years back who had Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS). This is a ruthless disease that slowly takes away muscle strength to the point where people can no longer breathe, leading to death. This gentleman was relying completely on God with his condition. He shared with me that the Scriptures teaching our complete reliance on God for everything were so real to him. He was thankful to be able to do the simplest tasks of life. The fact that we can do anything in our lives is because of God. It is so easy to go through our lives and not recognize the One who created you and sustains you. How tragic it is if we do not thank him for his sustaining power and the many blessings he pours out.

A Holiday of Gratitude for God-Ordained Trials

It is much easier to thank the Lord during the good times, but are we thanking the Lord during the difficult times? The Lord, being a loving Father, ordains pain in our lives, and it’s meant for the good of his children as these yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11). When the pain comes, we are to consider it joy (James 1:2-4), knowing that our loving Father is accomplishing good through the hardship (Romans 8:28).

A Holiday Showing the Fruit of the Spirit

One evidence of a Christian’s maturity is to be a person full of thanksgiving. Those who live lives dominated by sin are ungrateful people (2 Timothy 3:2), while those closely following the Lord realize their life (physical and spiritual) is a gift from him. One of the fruits of the Spirit is joy (Galatians 5:22), and one important way this is manifested in the believer’s life is through continual gratitude to the Lord. May we be a people that regularly give thanks to our wonderful God.