Lisa Sheffler and Belinda Soto, Author
2020 has been a challenging year for all the reasons you already know, and probably don’t want to be reminded of. On top of all the big, world-shaking events of 2020, there are the personal hardships that many of us have endured as part of life in a fallen world — losing a loved one, suffering with disease or injury, dealing with difficult relationships, experiencing job loss and financial uncertainty, and more. To one degree or another, 2020 has taken its toll on all of us.
Now here we are, rounding the corner into the final stretch of the year, which means the holiday season is upon us. Thanksgiving is coming up, and for many of us, it will be different. In addition to the other disappointments of this year, we may not be gathering with friends and family in the same way. Yet, we’re supposed to be thankful, right? It’s literally in the name of the holiday.
So what if we took that charge seriously? What if we treated thankfulness as more than a seasonal obligation? What if thankfulness in the midst of all the turmoil is exactly what we need?
This week, let’s focus our eyes on Jesus. We can be thankful because Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord! No matter what we are going through, Jesus reigns, his love endures forever, and he will never leave us or forsake us. For those of us troubled and exhausted, thankfulness may be just the antidote we need to counteract anxiety and despair. Gratitude is a powerful force. It lifts our heads and shifts our gaze. It reminds us that God is good and his grace abounds. It reshapes our thinking, inspires us to praise God, and prompts us to show greater love and compassion to those around us.
If you’re new to Christ Fellowship, you may not know that on the Sunday before Thanksgiving we have a special service. No one gives a sermon, but instead we sing praises to God and invite people to share stories of gratitude. As a body, we celebrate his goodness and faithfulness and give him our thanks.
In the spirit of our Thanksgiving service, the Engage God Daily for this week will focus on praising God, giving thanks, and acting on our gratitude.
Day 1
Human beings — so the saying goes — are creatures of habit. When we make gratitude a habit, it will have a powerful effect on our lives. We should be thanking God when we spend time with him each day. Paul insists that we, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances.” Why? “for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18). We should be rejoicing in him, praying that his will be done, and giving thanks in every circumstance. Imagine would our daily life would be like if we did this.
Paul tells us that prayer and thanksgiving will combat anxiety and give us peace: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7).
No matter what our circumstances, we can praise God and give him thanks for his love, mercy, and saving grace. Today we’re reading from three psalms that will encourage us to praise God for saving us. Think about how these words give you peace in the midst of anxiety and hope in the midst of fear.
Read
Psalm 13:5
But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
Psalm 70:4
But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
“The Lord is great!”
Psalm 66:5–7
5 Come and see what God has done,
his awesome deeds for mankind!
6 He turned the sea into dry land,
they passed through the waters on foot—
come, let us rejoice in him.
7 He rules forever by his power,
his eyes watch the nations—
let not the rebellious rise up against him.
What actions of God are praised in this psalm? Which of his attributes?
Reflect
God does not owe us his love and faithfulness. Salvation is never earned. It is a gift freely given. When we seek God and his saving grace, he will give it to us.
Psalm 66 alludes to one of the most beautiful pictures of God’s mercy depicted in Scripture. The Red Sea crossing in Exodus helps us understand God’s salvation. Trapped between the sea and Pharaoh’s advancing army, the Israelites faced certain death. Humanly speaking, there was no escape and no hope. There was nothing the Israelites could do to save themselves, but God parted the sea and allowed them to cross over from certain death, to new life. God rescued his people and set them on a path to the Promised Land. He would be with them every step of the way on this journey, even when they were ungrateful and disobedient.
Every human being is trapped between his or her sin and God’s judgment. Without rescue, we will die in our sins. God is far from us, and we cannot cross over on our own. No human effort will get us to the Kingdom of God. But God has performed the ultimate miracle. He sent Jesus Christ to redeem us by his death on the cross. Because of Jesus, we can cross over from death to life. God saves us and sets us on the path to an abundant life. We can know him now in this life through the Spirit, but will know him fully in his eternal Kingdom. He is with us every step of the journey to our eternal destiny, even when we are ungrateful and disobedient.
Salvation comes through Christ. He became a man, walked among us, died in our place and has been raised to reign over God’s eternal Kingdom. Our sins no longer condemn us. We are forgiven and adopted into the family of God. The grace of God is unimaginable in its power, goodness, and immensity.
When people turn to God, repent, and accept his grace and forgiveness, it is a cause of great celebration. When we accept Christ we begin an amazing journey with him that will last into eternity. Where are you on that journey? Can you look back and see evidence of God’s grace working in your life? Do you recognize all that God has saved you from? Can you point to moments in your life, see the hand of God and rejoice? Take time today to reflect on what the Lord has done for you and thank him for it!
The Creator of the universe not only formed you, but he rescued you from sin and death. He is working in your life today to restore brokenness, defeat sin-habits and mold you into the image of his Son, so that you will be the person he created you to be. That is cause to rejoice!
Respond
What has God saved you from? How is he working in your life right now? How can you rejoice in that today?
Pray and thank God for what he has done for you in Christ, then think about how can you show your joy in God’s salvation in such a way that others will rejoice with you over what the Lord has done, is doing and will do.
