prayingOn this Thanksgiving Day I am reminded that we are blessed beyond measure. Almighty God who is sovereign over our lives sustains us daily with His love, provision, mercy, and grace. I will strive to remember this not only today, but every day. I will adopt a Thanksgiving Day posture to carry me through each day—God willing.

So if the cable happens to go out during the game today, I’ll remind myself that we live in an amazing world of technology where I can ask my phone any question and have an answer within seconds. I can fly to any spot on the globe in hours. I can video chat with a person half a world away. I can access the sum total of human knowledge from a coffee shop while sipping a latte. Thank you, LORD.

If the turkey is not quite perfect today, I’ll remind myself that I live in a country with such overabundance that we’ve turned food into TV entertainment. I can go to the grocery store and choose from 100 different kinds of bread, cheese, cereal, and frozen pizza. I am never actually hungry and have no idea what the word truly means. Thank you, LORD.

As I pray over our meal I’ll thank God that I live in a country where the mere act of praying is not a crime. Where I can go to church, read my bible, and argue ridiculous points of doctrine in public, without fear of being arrested or worse. I’ll remind myself that I have no idea what religious persecution is, by God’s grace. Thank you, LORD.

Tomorrow when I think about how much our celebration cost, I’ll recall that everything we have comes from God, by his generous provision, and I deserve none of it. I’ll thank Him that He allows me to live better than 95% of the people on earth. Thank you, LORD.

And the next time I feel stressed out, or burdened, or angry, I’ll remind myself that Christ died on a cross for my sins and that I am free. I’ll think about what it means to be a child of the Most High God and Creator of the Universe. I’ll meditate on the words of the Psalmist who wrote:

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
(Psalm 139:14-16 ESV)

May we all have a Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving today and every day.

Amen.