Midweek Moment: November 26
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!
Psalm 118:1
Psalm 118 is a communal call for the people of God to praise and to prayer. it’s also our family’s memory verse for this week of Thanksgiving. Through this Psalm, all of Israel was invited to give thanks to God for his continual faithfulness and goodness; it was a way to acknowledge that although things may have been hard at times, God’s steadfast love remains and endures forever! In the same way, 2020 may not have been what anyone expected, but God’s goodness and his steadfast love have not changed. Our circumstances may have changed, our experience of the world may have changed, – we are wearing more masks than we ever thought possible – but God has not changed.
Every November (just like Ben shared his daughter’s on Sunday!) our kids make Thankful Turkeys out of construction paper. Each morning, as we eat breakfast and spill milk and get seconds and drop spoons on the floor, the kids add a feather to their turkey with something new they are thanking God for that day. We let them write anything they want and it’s been a good reminder to say, “thanks, God” for both the big and the small things in our lives. So far, our turkeys say things like, “my pillow, my lovies, my blanket, my coins, my family, and my plastic dinosaur.” I’m just glad that our family made it onto the turkey, right alongside the plastic dino!
Even though Thanksgiving 2020 will likely look different than expected, with less travel, smaller gatherings, or no gatherings at all, I wonder if we could pause this week to thank God for both big and small things in our lives. It might be your cup of coffee, it could be the sunshine after a rainy day, perhaps it’s your kids’ laughter or a bit more space this season to reflect on the bigness of God…it might even be your plastic dinosaur (although, I highly doubt it!). Whatever it is, start with thanking God for his steadfast, never-ending, always pursuing love.
This Thanksgiving, let’s join with Israel in declaring that God is good and his steadfast love endures forever!
Blessings,
Katie