God’s Hand Of Blessing

“Give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

As I ponder the last twelve months since we last celebrated the Thanksgiving season as a church and as a nation, I am overcome with emotion as I think of all that God has done for me and my family. We have been so blessed financially, spiritually, emotionally, physically and in countless other ways that God has chosen to show Himself faithful and trustworthy. It’s a good season and for that I give Him praise!

How has your year been? If God’s hand of blessing has been obvious in your life, lift up your praise and shout it from the rooftops in proclamation of the goodness of the Lord. On the other hand you may be wiping the tears and blood stains off of yourself as you are just desperately holding on due to what you’ve been dealt this year. Maybe it’s a death, a divorce, loss of a job, a horrible marriage situation, a rebellious child, diagnosis of a terrible disease. Whatever it is and as bad as it might hurt, because of Who He is, all of us can, if we’ll put our trust in Him, say like the hymn writer Horatio Spafford, “Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.”

The Lord never tells us to be happy about everything that we already have or will go through, but we are told to give thanks in the midst of each of those circumstances. Why, because it feels good? No, rather because He is good and no matter what your situation, He is using and will continue to use it to finish what He has begun in you with the goal of making you more like Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)

This Thanksgiving season, no matter what you are going through, take a moment, even if you cannot think of anything else and thank God for who He is and for making a way for you to be His child. Just meditating on that gives us enough to be thankful for, for the rest of eternity. If you are still struggling to find something to give thanks about, take a moment and thank God that you have the ability to read this.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Pastor MJ