Remember and Give Thanks!

             In two days, we will celebrate Thanksgiving.  For many of us, our first thoughts will be of turkey, dressing, mac ‘n cheese that will melt in your mouth (my favorite, in case you hadn’t guessed), and all the delicious desserts.  We’ll be eager to give thanks for all those mouthwatering goodies, but will we take the time to consider what it means to give thanks?

            Giving thanks requires remembering.  It requires reflection as we look back over our lives and pause to acknowledge how blessed we are, despite our current circumstances.  The Hebrew word for “remember” is Zakar, and it appears over 200 times in the Old Testament.  I think that might be because God knows that we have short memories.  From the 4th Commandment, when He said, “Remember the Sabbath” (Exodus 20: 8) until He spoke through the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 46: 9), He reminded the Israelites that He is God and that He was their deliverer. I think He still desires to remind us today of the blessings that He has poured out on us.

            Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln on October 3, 1863.  Even amid a war that threatened to destroy the great American experiment, Lincoln found much to be thankful for.  More importantly, he also recognized that those things were the “gracious gifts of the Most High God.”

            As I pause to remember, I give thanks for my parents who brought me up in the faith and introduced me to Jesus at an early age.  I give thanks for Bible teachers who didn’t just teach but also encouraged me along the way.  I give thanks for friends who have stood by me in difficult times and have brought joy and laughter along the way.  I give thanks for my family who love and care for me.  That list could go on and on because I am blessed in so many ways. I hope that I never stop pausing to remember and give thanks.  All my life, God has been faithful, and I remember and give thanks.

            When Lincoln established the first Thanksgiving holiday, he invited his fellow citizens to join him in giving thanks and praise “to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.”  Lincoln knew that we are blessed by a Heavenly Father who loves us and wants the best for us. As we gather with family and friends this holiday week, I pray that we will each take the time to remember and give Him thanks. Don’t take your blessings for granted.  Remember that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1: 17 NIV84).  He does not change but He does remember.  Zakar!  Join Him in remembering and give Him thanks! 

I Thessalonians 5: 18

James 1: 17

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