Philippians 4:19 (New International Version)
And my God will meet all your needs according to the
riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
As we prepare for Thanksgiving day let's take a look at the beginnings of Thanksgiving.
Almost 400 years ago in the country of England (on the
other side of the ocean) a group of people called Pilgrims wanted to come to
America so that they could worship God. They packed up their belongings, left
their houses, and boarded a ship called the Mayflower. There were 102 people on
that ship, and most of them were children.
It was very crowded and the journey was difficult. Many
grown-ups and children got seasick. Others got sick because they didn't have
fruits and vegetables to eat and they didn't have fresh water to drink or to
wash in. But God didn't give up on them. He kept watching over them and
blessing them. There was even a baby born on the Mayflower! Because he was born
on the ocean, his parents named him Oceanus!
The voyage took a long, long time. When the Pilgrims
finally got to land, their troubles were not over. By then, it was winter.
There weren't any houses to live in. There wasn't much food to eat. In fact, on
some days, each person got only a few kernels of corn! Because it was so cold
and they didn't have much food, many more people got sick. Many even died.
How do you think they felt? I suppose some of them even
wanted to quit and go back to England. They might have done that, but they knew
God had led them to their new land, and they trusted him.
When spring came, God sent Native Americans to help the
Pilgrims. The Native Americans taught the Pilgrims how to plant corn and
fertilize it by putting fish in the ground with the corn seeds. The Pilgrims
worked hard that summer growing food and building houses. When fall came, God
gave them a great harvest. The Pilgrims knew God had helped them, and they were
very thankful to him.
To celebrate God’s goodness to them, they had a feast—a
thanksgiving feast. They invited their new friends, the Native Americans, to
eat with them. It was the first Thanksgiving, and the celebration lasted for
three days!
Just like the Pilgrims, we have struggles too. Sometimes
people we love get sick. Sometimes we feel sad or lonely. Sometimes we are
afraid. No matter what struggles and troubles we face, God keeps on loving us.
He always gives us exactly what we need.
God loves you! He won’t always take your struggles away,
but he promises that he will stay with you. He will always help you, no matter
what. God loves you so much that he sent his own Son, Jesus, to die for you to
take your sins away. That is the best gift ever! And because God loved us
enough to give us his very best Gift—Jesus—we know he will give us everything
else we need, too.
Dear Lord, we thank you for the many gifts you give to
us, thank you for the many ways you help us each day. We thank for the day we
have set aside to be thankful. We pray for safety for all those who will be traveling
to spend tomorrow with their loved ones. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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