Thanksgiving
By Bruce Cannon
Mitchell County
Psalm 150:6 commands: “Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.”
Having just witnessed the amazing color of the trees in these North Carolina mountains, the harvest of the apples, and all that is associated with the fall, this verse is very relevant! How God has blessed us not just in the fall but throughout the year(s)!
I began a series of messages recently on the life and times of Elijah. So much of what the nation of Israel was going through and doing in his day can be seen in the America of our day. Yet, God took care of him and used him as He, the Lord, brought down judgment upon Israel and the nations surrounding her. False gods were being worshipped, cultic practices practiced and God’s mercy ran out. Judgment fell.
How did God provide for His prophet? He sent him to the brook Cherith which, even though a drought had a stranglehold on the land, continued to flow. He fed him through ravens bringing him bread and flesh in the mornings and evenings. When the brook dried up, as was purposed by God beforehand, He sent Elijah to a widow who was preparing the last bit of meal for her and her young son to eat one last morsel of bread before they died. Again God provided. The meal never failed and the oil was always there for the widow, her son, and Elijah to eat even though so many around were dying due to hunger.
I am so thankful for stories like these in the Word. They teach us that God always provides for those who walk in fellowship with Him. Just as He did for Elijah, God will take care of His people!
As we look ahead to Thanksgiving don’t we have a lot to be thankful for? The Lord spared us through the COVID-19 disaster, He is sparing us through this current economic downturn, and He will continue to provide for us until that day we go Home to be with Him.
Several verses speak to this. For instance, David said in Psalm 37:25, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:19, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” No matter what our nation does against His will and purposes and no matter how bad the economy gets somehow, someway God is going to provide for our needs.
God does not need anything to give us everything we need and can provide everything out of nothing just as He did when He created the heavens and the earth. He is unlimited in His power and ability and can still today work tremendous miracles on our behalf. Amen! Rejoice this Thanksgiving season that our God reigns and will meet our needs in the future just as He has done in the past and is doing in the present.
May I share a few things we should always praise the Lord for:
- He will give grace for everything that comes our way. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
- He will meet every need that arises. (Matthew 6:25-34)
- He will walk with us every step of the way through life. (Hebrews 13:5)
- He will carry us when we can no longer walk. (Deuteronomy 33:27)
- He will use every pain, every problem, and every pitfall in life for His glory and our good and will use it all to grow us in the faith and make us more like Jesus. (Romans 8:28-29)
Amen! Remember these amazing truths and recall how good the Lord has been to you and yours throughout the years and rejoice. Rejoice this Thanksgiving season that we are the recipients of the wonderful blessings of God and that these blessings will continue as long as we walk in fellowship with Him.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Bruce Cannon is the retired pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church in Bakersville. Formerly he served as Director of Missions for the Bladen Baptist Association and has served on the General Board of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.
Read more Christian news from Bruce here.
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