Psalm 107:8-9
“Let them give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for mankind, for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”
Both sides of my husband’s and my family have a rich heritage of ancestors who sought a new life in America, and the paternal side of my family has a link back to the bold and courageous group of Christian believers who embarked on a historic voyage to the New World across the Atlantic on board the Mayflower. These Pilgrim forefathers possessed extraordinary faith, courage, and determination to leave everything behind to set out on a months-long voyage to a land unknown to them for a new beginning. One hundred and two passengers departed on the 6th of September 1620, on a voyage that was horrific at times with passengers falling ill from fever, seasickness, and other ailments, from which many perished. On November 9, a sailor cried, “Land, ho!” The weary travelers fell on their knees to pray and with joy read Psalm 100:
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
Serve the Lord with gladness:
come before His presence with singing.
Know ye that the Lord He is God:
it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
and into His courts with praise:
be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting;
and His truth endureth to all generations.”
During the difficult and sometimes discouraging days, months, and years to follow— suffering from disease, a high death rate, extreme temperatures, threats from hostile Indians, and lack of food supplies—they were sustained time and again by God’s grace. By October 1621, their crop of corn yielded a good amount to supply their needs for the winter to come. It was decided to have a thanksgiving festival to celebrate the harvest and they invited the colony’s Indian friends to join them. Fishing and hunting yielded fresh lobster and eels, wild turkeys, geese, and other assorted game. The Indians brought more seafood and live deer for roasting. It was quite an impressive menu and the feasting lasted for three days! The following year was not quite so plentiful with corn supplies running dangerously low, so low the daily ration was five kernels of corn per person per day. It was feared that the year after that would be even worse as a terrible drought had threatened the crops. The Pilgrims fasted and prayed and miraculously the rains came and the harvest was saved. The memory of those two years of hardship was forever in their minds and they never again took for granted their bounty and never failed to give thanks for God’s provision.
This account of determination, sacrifice, trust in the Lord, and faith in a sovereign God inspires us even today, as many in our midst have or are experiencing unforeseen hardships. This year, may we recall once again the rich legacy our forefathers left us, never take our bounty for granted, and never fail to acknowledge that all good and perfect gifts come from the Father above. On Thanksgiving Day, may God grant us all a renewed sense of gratitude and praise for all the ways He has provided for us. Happy Thanksgiving, dear readers, to you and yours!
“We Plough the Fields and Scatter”
We plough the fields, and scatter the good seed on the land;
But it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand:
He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.
Chorus:
All good gifts around us
Are sent from heaven above,
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord
For all His love.
He only is the maker of all things near and far;
He paints the wayside flower, He lights the evening star;
The winds and waves obey Him, by Him the birds are fed;
Much more to us, His children, He gives our daily bread.
We thank Thee, then, O Father, for all things bright and good,
The seed time and the harvest, our life, our health, and food;
No gifts have we to offer, for all Thy love imparts,
But that which Thou desirest, our humble, thankful hearts.
~ lyrics by Matthias Claudias
