From the Preacher’s Pen…
Have you ever thought about what it is that makes you happy? In dealing with depression and sadness there is one common thread in all the advice, all the research, all the studies of what really works.
In order to move from sadness to joy, you have to first get moving. Unsurprisingly you never get anywhere else unless you get up and do something; you have to move. But the second ingredient always involves thankfulness.
If you never make the effort to appreciate, to see and be thankful then you are guaranteed to be miserable. It is not only a fact of human psychology, a fact of life; it is a fact of spiritual life, too.
Think for a few moments just how much God has done for you and let’s look at just a few lessons of…
Thanksgiving in God’s Word
It is easy to think of the Thanksgiving holiday as an American invention that happens once a year. But, as you probably realize, the original “holiday” in this country was a group of Christian people celebrating what their God had done to provide for them in difficult circumstances. And they understood what we should remember: Thanksgiving has always been celebrated by God’s people whenever they stop to realize and appreciate God’s blessings!
We have much to be thankful for every single day and should often go to our God in prayer for His many rich blessings. Let’s consider just a few of the lessons from God’s hymn book (Psalms) that remind us to be truly thankful.
1) God’s love never changes, never falters, and never ends. When Moses was on the mountain to receive the Law it was part of God’s announcement as to who He really is (Exodus 34:6-7). The Psalmist certainly had this knowledge of the Lord in mind.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever (Psalm 136:1).
2) God’s faithfulness reminds us of what He calls us to with our faithfulness. It should never be a temporary thing for us because His faithfulness lasts literally forever!
Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol Him, all peoples! For great is His steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 117:1-2)
3) Because God is God He is worthy of praise. Remember His awesome creative power and His eternal purpose for us, His people. Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His (Psalm 100:3).
4) God purposefully created you as an intricate work of careful design, and He cares about every single part of you. For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 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. How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! (Psalm 139:13-17)
5) God is our greatest hope and encouragement when we face struggles in this life.
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God. (Psalm 42:11)
6) God is the best antidote to our fears. In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? (Psalm 56:10-11)
7) God is trustworthy. He will continue to bless us with what is best. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act. (Psalm 37:3-5)
Consider how much He has done for you and give Him your all. You will never be sorry that you did. Are you truly thankful to the Lord?
— Lester P. Bagley