As November draws to a close, we have so much to be thankful for. Even in the midst of our personal storms, we can give thanks.
What comes to mind first is that we have such a loving Father in Heaven. He knows our every need. When we are crushed and surrounded on all sides, He is there! All we have to do is lift our minds to Him. While it seems so difficult in that moment of need, it is actually pretty simple; He has made it easy for us. He has forgiven us our trespasses already. A wonderful example of this is in the following scripture:
But when they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone—a very heavy one —was already moved away and the entrance was open! So they entered the tomb—and there on the right sat a young man clothed in white. The women were startled, but the angel said, “Don’t be so surprised. Aren’t you looking for Jesus, the Nazarene who was crucified? He isn’t here! He has come back to life! Look, that’s where his body was lying. Now go and give this message to his disciples, including Peter: “Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died!”
Mark 16:4–6
Did you see the message, “Including Peter”? Why did the angel say that? Peter had just denied that he even knew Christ! How do you think he was feeling? The man he knew was the Messiah, yet he denied in a time of challenge. Peter, I am sure, was broken, shameful, and so disappointed in himself. How could he?
But the Father already knew this; that is why the message from Heaven that morning—”Tell the disciples, including Peter”—was so direct, so specific. He knew what Peter needed to hear! He knew that Peter should be included in the celebration. In fact, it was Peter, after being filled with the Holy Spirit, who baptized about 3,000 in one day (Acts 2:41).
That is why we are thankful today. Our Father in Heaven wants us to be included in the celebration, too.
So today, let us give thanks to the Lord. He has already provided for our biggest need—eternal salvation—even when we are not deserving.
Lord, many of us receiving this message today have struggles, or we know of those with struggles. We know you already have our needs covered. We pray for the strengthening of our faith so that we can keep our focus on You and not on the storms that are around us. We thank You for carrying us when we cannot take another step.
Have a loving day.
