On the fourth Thursday in November, US citizens celebrate Thanksgiving Day. History reveals that for the first few years after the English pilgrims made their home in the New World, they were beset by famine and cold—surviving only through the assistance of friendly Native Americans. And so when they were finally able to have a plentiful harvest in 1621, they celebrated Thanksgiving as a way of remembering both the blessings and the hardships they’d endured.
In Deuteronomy 5:15, God commanded the people of Israel to remember something that most people would rather forget: They had once been slaves in Egypt. Far from being an isolated directive, God gave this command no less than three times (see also Deuteronomy 15:15, Deuteronomy 24:18). The call to remember this painful chapter of people of Israel’s life makes sense because their enslavement in Egypt was a significant part of their history—something not to be forgotten (Deuteronomy 6:12).
But there’s a more positive aspect to this remembrance as well. As the people of Israel remembered their enslavement, they could see the full scope of God’s work in their lives—how He had taken them from slavery to freedom, from Egypt to the Promised Land. If they forgot their time in Egypt, they would forget the full story of what God had done for them.
It’s all too easy for some of us to block out the bad times of our lives and focus solely on the good. But as natural as this tendency is, we should never forget the hardships we’ve faced. Difficult times demonstrate the full scope of how amazing God’s grace and love truly are (Deuteronomy 5:10). Let’s give thanks today and remember that the Lord our God continues to faithfully provide for us during the good and bad times.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
More:
Read Luke 22:19 to see how Jesus commanded us to remember something difficult and painful.
Next:
How can God use the painful moments in life to help you grow and draw you closer to Him? How do your difficult times more clearly illustrate God’s power and redemption?
godlove on November 24, 2016 at 4:48 am
I highly cherish all the great memories of wonderful things GOD has done in my life. However, it is quite true that a good number of these great things God did were preceded by a rough period during which I faced tough difficulties but which His grace helped me to get through. So I fully agree with the importance of remembering the difficult times side-by-side the ensuing blessings. The memories of difficult times makes the gratitude of thanksgiving even more profound. It also gives me hope when I face difficulties because I am confident that He who helped me out of such circumstances before can do it again. Thank you Peter. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you celebrating and blessed day to the rest of us.
vegilkerson on November 24, 2016 at 5:16 am
It is so very easy to develop a spirit of entitlement like we are owed such and such. However, there are some people who really are having difficult times, more difficult than we. Even though this is supposedly the richest country by the world’s standards, we have a new breed of poor. Most people live from pay check to pay check. Most are just one check away from becoming homeless.
Gary Shultz on November 24, 2016 at 6:19 am
Peter, most memories will be different for each person, but as you refer to Egypt for Israel; we gentiles with a rich history of ungodliness, were led out of slavery by Jesus Christ. For that I am most thankful. And yes, we must remember God has had His hand thrust in history for our sake too. We need to select times of turning in our lives and as Godlove says, to learn that God can repeat the process to bring us to a place of peace and thanksgiving. God has the ability to form His will in us and help us work out our salvation. Work is work the difficult and the reflection for what has given us reward. It has all come from the hand of an all wise, almighty God who wants to us to be in His presence, today, and as Jesus has open the path for tomorrow. Thanks Peter, I know you have lived this. A good day to give thanks.
sim jing ying on November 24, 2016 at 5:31 pm
God will use problems of tests to test your trust in him that makes us to say that everything will be alright. Sometimes God gives some tests again and again to prove His power and redemption for us.
sim jing ying on November 24, 2016 at 5:32 pm
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