Text Verse:
Psalms 100:1-5 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. (2) Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. (3) Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. (4) Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. (5) For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
This is a Psalm of praise, or of thanksgiving. Have you ever wondered how Thanksgiving became to be a national holiday? The federal government created it, but what’s the meaning of it and who did they want to give thanks to? Is it only supposed to be a day to eat big and watch football?
The year is 1621
After enduring religious persecution in their native England and for twelve years in Holland, the pilgrims sailed for America. This reminded me of another people that God led to a new land.
Exodus 3:7-8 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; (8) And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
The pilgrims rested in faith that God was leading them to a land of religious freedom to advance the gospel of the kingdom of Christ. They were modest men and women with a great hope and inward zeal. They would have to be to want to leave everything they knew and sail for America. The voyage of the Mayflower took twice as long as Christopher Columbus’ voyage in 1492, enduring several wintry storms. They faced hardships and trials and I don’t have any doubt that some if not most of them wanted to turn the ship around and head back. But they sailed on. This reminded me of the Israelites’ journey from Egypt. A journey that should have only taken 12 days took them 40 years. But God was with them every step of the way, leading them on.
Exodus 13:21-22 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: (22) He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
After the pilgrims arrived, they formed a settlement and planted crops. They had their first harvest in the fall of 1621. Their own seed had barely grown, but Indians showed them how to plant corn which yielded a huge harvest. God led them to this land and God continued to provide for them.
Exodus 16:3, 14-15 And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger. (14) And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. 15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
God provides for His people.
Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
On that first Thanksgiving, they celebrated God’s goodness to them with a party of ninety Indians. Their Thanksgiving feast lasted three days and included a festival of sports. After arriving in their new land, the pilgrims faced disease, famine, bitter cold, and many dangers. However, when the Mayflower made its return voyage, none of the pilgrims returned with it. They saw God at work in spite of the trials and hardships they endured. We need to think like them.
2Corinthians 12:9-10 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (10) Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
The year is 1864
The United States is only 88 years old, Congress is in its 89th session. The country is in the grips of a bitter civil war. Abraham Lincoln is our 16th President. He signs into existence a law, concerning the creation of a new holiday: Thanksgiving.
“Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do hereby appoint and set apart the last Thursday in November next as a day which I desire to be observed by all my fellow-citizens, wherever they may be then, as a day of thanksgiving and praise to Almighty God, the beneficent Creator and Ruler of the Universe. And I do further recommend to my fellow-citizens aforesaid, that on that occasion they do reverently humble themselves in the dust, and from thence offer up penitent and fervent prayers and supplications to the great Disposer of events for a return of the inestimable blessings of peace, union, and harmony throughout the land which it has pleased Him to assign as a dwelling-place for ourselves and for our posterity throughout all generations. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the city of Washington, this twentieth day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-four and of the independence of the United States the eighty-ninth.”
President Lincoln signs into a law a federal holiday called Thanksgiving. Up until this day, thanksgiving was merely a tradition. Now Thanksgiving became a national holiday – a day specifically set aside for Americans to give thanks to God. Imagine something like this happening today – the ACLU and other groups would throw a fit, even if it meant they got an extra day off. They would never allow such a thing today.
The year is 2016
What is Thanksgiving? A time when even the federal government, which seems to be doing its best to take God out of everyone’s life, has determined that we as a nation should give thanks to God. So how will you give thanks to God? Will you take the time to praise Him for all you’ve been given? For the chance to serve Him and be a blessing to Him? And if you do take the time to thank Him, will it only be for what you feel are the blessings God has given you? The things that are easy to praise God for? Family? Food? A roof over your head? Don’t get me wrong, those things are important, and certainly worthy to be praised, but that’s not all we should be thankful for. We should also praise God for the times that haven’t been so good, because we trust that God has a purpose in them.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
2Corinthians 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
In 2Corinthians 11, Paul called scourgings, stonings, starving, being shipwrecked as ‘light affliction’.
The pilgrims endured disease, famine, bitter cold, and many dangers and none wanted to leave.
In the midst of a horrific civil war, Abraham Lincoln called for a national day of Thanksgiving to God.
Some of us may not be in the best of situations and cirumstances right now. It’s times like these that we have to see God is using even these times as times when He is molding us and changing us to be more like Him. It’s easy to praise God and give thanks to Him when everything is going your way. But there are reasons to praise God no matter what.
Psalms 100:2-4 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. (3) Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. (4) Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
As Lincoln said: “Praise to Almighty God, the beneficent Creator and Ruler of the Universe”