Daily Devotional

It is hard to imagine where this whole year has gone.  It doesn’t seem possible that this week we will celebrate Thanksgiving.  I am looking forward to spending time with family.  I am sure you have family traditions you enjoy on Thanksgiving and the coming Christmas Holidays.  As I was growing up, one of the traditions in our home was to have the extended family come for a festive meal.  All my grandparents, aunts, uncles, (even great aunts and uncles), cousins, nieces, nephews, and siblings would gather for a huge meal.  It was always fun and a time to see all our family in one place.  It was almost like a harvest dinner because all the crops were in and there was now time to talk about the ups and downs of the year.  Sadly, as in many families, my parents and grandparents have passed away and we no longer have the big family gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Family has spread out to a lot of distant locations.  As I think back, I am very appreciative that I was privileged to grow up in a multigenerational Christian family.   A family of farmers that loved and served the Lord.  

Thanksgiving is a time for me to reflect on God’s goodness and express to Him my appreciation for all that He has done and is doing in my life.  Sometimes things happen that are difficult to experience and understand.  These have been times to go deeper in my trust in the Lord.  In my own personal life, I notice that when things are going smoothly it is easy to say, “God is good, and I trust You.”  When things begin to spin out of control in life, it is an opportunity to go deeper in my faith and walk with the Lord.  What I sing about and profess to believe on Sunday, needs to be my reality on Tuesday, when the bottom of my world falls out. In those times I am reminded of the verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, ”In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  Each day I need to see God’s hand of care and blessing in my life.  At times I may not understand what God is doing or why, but in those moments, I can choose to trust God because He is always faithful and good.  Those moments give me the opportunity to build a deeper relationship with my Lord.  My trust grows in God as I see Him repeatedly working in my life, ultimately for the purpose that I might become more like Jesus Christ.  I may not understand the events of life and I may have to admit that my trust in God is running a little thin.  In those times I need to remind myself of 2 Timothy 2:13, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful.” God is always faithful and will never let me down.  

This Thanksgiving Season, celebrate God’s goodness and His faithfulness in your life.   May you grow to not only trust God for your future in heaven but also for the things you face each day this side of heaven.

Prayer:  Lord, I want my life to be characterized by a growing trust in You.  I admit that there are times when I question what You are doing in my life.  At those times, help me to trust You even more.  Thank You Lord, that you are always good.  Help me to pursue even a deeper walk with You when times are difficult in my life.  Amen

New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.