Episode 389

TODAY’S READING:

I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High.

Psalm 7:17

 

Yesterday, I went to a Friendsgiving and two things happened. The first was dinner was served, and one person said, “wait, we need to pray,” and to that, there were a few responses from the crowd “I am not really into the God thing,” and the second reaction I heard was “who are we giving thanks to”

 

My thoughts were… even if you don’t believe in Jesus, you have to believe that something brought us together. We can at least give thanks for that!

 

Later that night, I got the devastating news that a dear family I know was involved in a horrific accident while driving to North Carolina. In the car, there was a father and his wife, his two kids, and their son’s wife and child. A drunk driver slammed into them from behind, and my friend Heidi and her mother died on the spot. Erica and her 10-month daughter ended up in the hospital, both undergoing surgery. I can only imagine how Xavier and his father are feeling.

 

My first reaction was, wow.. How could this happen? They were faithful believers. They were good people. Heidi was only 32, and she served her church.

 

Then I thought of the comments I heard earlier in the night, and I thought that just 10 minutes earlier, I was questioning how someone could live life without having an anchor to thank. But here I was questioning the very anchor I have devoted my life to.

 

I remembered that even in tragedies, we could praise because our faith promises us that we get to live in eternity with our father.

 

It allows moments like these to give us a great sense of peace that we aren’t just wandering life without anyone to give thanks to our creator. It means we are living in a fallen world, and we have a savior that wants to walk with us in it.

 

A bleak morning, but a gentle reminder that on this Thanksgiving day, let us hold our loved ones a little closer. Let’s leave politics, drama, and our phones at the door. Let us be thankful that we have a father who walks with us in the good and the bad.

 

PRAYER

Father God, I don’t know why you do the things you do, but I do know that your promise still stands, and we know that you are walking with us, laughing with us, and even crying with us through it all. We thank you for this beautiful thanksgiving day. We pray for the Martinez family; may you heal their brokenness. May you comfort them during this time. We thank you for the opportunity of dining with your family. We thank you for the peace; we thank you for the love we are all about to share. We love you, and it is in your son’s name that we pray, AMEN!

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