Belated Thanksgiving Thoughts.

This is a portion of a journal entry I wrote over Thanksgiving break.

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...Thanksgiving day itself was so much fun! After staying up ridiculously late talking to Nick and Nirmala, who are both home for break, I somehow managed to drag myself out of bed in time for the 9:30 Thanksgiving service at church. It was a small and informal affair, but it was nevertheless a great way to start out my day. We had a time of singing and prayer, and Pastor Johnston read a children's version of the Thanksgiving story. I was expecting to hear just the same old facts I had heard all my life, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the book was a very well-written account from Squanto's perspective. It kept a very biblical worldview as it told of his kidnapping, slavery in Europe and finally his return to America. It even compared Squanto to Joseph in the Old Testament, who went through many torturous trials, yet God was behind it all, working it together for good. Reminding me to thank God in all circumstances, the story definitely gave a good perspective to Thanksgiving day.

Now that I think about it, God was laying that message on my heart all day. In the morning, I read Psalm 40 during my quiet time. What struck me about that particular psalm is the way David recalled God's help and praised Him for His deliverance. But David was not in a time of peace and plenty; on the contrary, he seemed to be in a difficult situation, for in verse 17 he calls himself poor and needy. But he still begins this beautiful psalm by remembering what God has already done for him. For many, this Thanksgiving day does not come in the midst of a time of prosperity but in a time of struggle. Yet both the psalm and the story reminded me that it was a day to pause and be encouraged in any circumstances because I have seen the Lord's goodness at work in my life. He is ever faithful and unchanging, and He will work all these things together for His glory.