Happy Thanksgiving ( Ps 106:1-2)

(We interrupt our normal devotional just to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving Day, for those in the US).

Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord?
Who can ever praise him enough?….Save us, O Lord our God!
Gather us back from among the nations,
so we can thank your holy name
    and rejoice and praise you. Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
    who lives from everlasting to everlasting!
Let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the Lord! (Ps 106:1-2, 47-48)

Dallas fall tress-We thank our God for He is good, deep in the heart of Texas.

Today in the US we celebrate a beautiful holiday called Thanksgiving. When we stop in the midst of our usually crazy schedule, and give thanks to God for all His benefits through the year. With family and friends and a table full of food, we all take the time to sing like Israel did, "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His faithful love endures forever".

One thing that hit me this year with this Psalm is that, it ask us to give thanks not because things are good but because God is good. So since God is good all the time–even when life is a bit horrible and for some, very painful–our God ask us to give thanks regardless because he is Good and He is in control of our life. 

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you".– (1Thes 5:16-18)

How do we give thanks when life hands us a nasty plate? We look at our God in prayer and ask for strength to see the silver lining even in the overcast skies. We remember the past, and how good He has been, we remember our other darkest moments and how God took us through. We read about how God has taken others through and glean support and strength from their story of perseverance, even when it seems so far fetched. Yes weeping may come in the night, but joy comes in the morning (Ps 30:5). Remember God is faithful till the end, he is good till the end. So command your soul to rejoice, do not stay alone, meet some friends, seek the company of laughter, it might be the medicine you need to get your soul's jump start into the Thanksgiving spirit.

So I encourage you who might not seem to have anything to praise God for, to praise Him anyway...For those whom giving thanks is a lot easier this year, I ask you to stop, reflect and speak out loud the goodness of the Lord. So that you will remember and it will be a milestone of encouragement when hard times come, and when thanksgiving does not come so easy.

Happy Thanksgiving Comfortnotes family, although we celebrate this here in the US, thanksgiving should be a discipline to practice every day of our lives. Enjoy this day, be safe this day and be comforted this day. Amen.