Good morning,
Well, we are at that time of year when the days get shorter and cloudy and the nights get longer and darker. We are also at that time of life when we are beginning to realize that life is far more complex then we thought and our ideas of how life should be lived are more cloudy then we expected. Even those of us who have realized that we can’t live life on our own and have trusted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, often find ourselves feeling like we are walking in the darkness and are really in need a lot more light to keep on going. I found it quite comforting when I came across this verse in Isaiah where God said, I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times. I, the LORD, am the one who does these things.(45:7) I also found it very comforting when David wrote, but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.(Ps.139:12) When it comes to the darkness and confusion around us, and sometimes the personal pressures of the spiritual battles inside us, it’s very important that we remember what God tells us about our enemies part in most of the darkness. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News.(2 Cor, 4:4) The people around us, without Jesus in their lives, have no idea what is right and wrong in the eyes of the Judge who will assign them their place in the darkness of hell and the eternal light of the lake of fire.
Well, what does all this have to do with the Thanksgiving holiday that we are going to be celebrating this week in America. The first Thanksgiving in our country came about after Pilgrims came to begin a life of faith in God with a new freedom from the controls of the governments that they left behind. Their ocean travel was difficult and some lives were lost at sea. The country that they came to was very challenging, the weather was overwhelming, and sickness and death were their constant enemies. It was only because of the kindness of some of the American Indians that they were able to struggle through to the end of the summer harvest. So what did the survivors do? They decided to have a time of thanksgiving for all the Lord had done for them up to that point in their faith based decision. They lived out the Proverb, The LORD directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?(Pr.24:20) They were willing to risk everything in order to follow God’s way of living by leaving their ungodly countries for, Your commandments give me understanding; no wonder I hate every false way of life.(Ps.119:104) For them the Bible was,Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.(v.105) They actually believed and lived what God promised them in his Eternal Word that said, The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.(Ps.37:23,24) They knew that they were doing what God had told them to do, they knew that what they were doing was pleasing their Lord and Savior, and even though it seemed that they had stumbled along during those difficult times, they would never fall because their Lord was holding them by his hand. Dear Lord, please give us a heart like theirs, filled with thanksgiving and praise.
Psalms 37:23 The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.
24 Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.
Roy Wisner
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