As we enter the holiday season I am once again pondering if our modern, fast-paced culture has forgotten Thanksgiving. In our rush toward Christmas the Thanksgiving holiday feels like a rest stop, a necessary hurdle in the express lane to December 25th. As much as I love Christmas, and my family loves Christmas, I wonder if we would appreciate that season more if we slowed down long enough to camp on thanksgiving. Not just the holiday, but on the meaning of the actual word. One definition of thanksgiving is “An expression of gratitude, especially to God.” As I have pondered this, I am reminded of a prayer I have heard many times in various iterations, that is usually some version of the following:
“Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us. We bless you for your creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.”
My family has so much to be thankful for. Over the last few years we have moved through a season of change, of heartache, of personal and family struggles. At times over the last few years nothing felt safe. Yet through it all we have seen the goodness of Jesus. We have seen Him through people He has sent across our paths, through events we could not have orchestrated, through remembering the hope of glory, and through you; those who partner with TECH in prayer and finances. We could not have made it through those times without your interceding on our behalf.
As I think about the valleys and mountains of life, there were many times along the way we simply want the comfort of the known. But the known, the safe, is not often the way of Jesus. He desires to take us higher up and further in. Though we may not always go willingly, may we be glad we did. It may not feel safe, but He is good. For that we are thankful. So, no matter where this November day finds you, we pray you will know His goodness, even if the storm rages around you.
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