Four hundred years ago on a fall day in Plymouth, Massachusetts, a group of Christians met with a group of Indians to celebrate a successful harvest that year. Just over fifty colonists were in attendance at the feast. But sadly, this was only a portion of the original group which had arrived in the new land a year earlier. Almost half of the colonists, including all but four women, had died due to cold and disease the winter before. Every single person at the table that first Thanksgiving Day had tragically lost a mother, father, spouse, child, or close friend just months earlier. But although they were experiencing deep pain and loss, they did not let it stop them from honoring God for his goodness and provision. And they knew that there was more to being thankful for than just earthly pleasures. 

What will your Thanksgiving table look like this year? Some days we feel like we are overflowing with God’s provisions, and sometimes those reasons to be thankful are a little harder to see. Maybe our minds our clouded with sorrow or loss or struggle or heartache. 

The good news is that earthly, temporal things are not the only things we have to be thankful for. Even when times here on this earth are difficult, we have so many eternal treasures to appreciate. Here are some of those blessings that we don’t always think of!

God holds our universe together. (Colossians 1:17)

He is not a distant God, but hears us when we cry out. (Psalm 34;17)

He carries our burdens when we are weak. (Matthew 11:28)

He gives us wisdom and understanding. (Proverbs 2:6)

He fills us with joy, peace, and overflowing hope. (Romans 15:13)

God never changes. (Malachi 3:6)

He sustains us through our whole lives, even to old age, never abandoning us. (Isaiah 64:4)

His love is steadfast, and we can never be separated from it. (Psalm 136:1, Romans 8:39)

He has given us His very own Spirit to live within us and help us. (Romans 5:5)

He removes our sin as far as the east is from the west. (Psalm 103:12)

He gives the gift of grace completely free of charge! (Ephesians 2:8)

He grants us entrance into His eternal kingdom. (2 Peter 1:11)

He is able to do more in our lives than we can ever imagine. (Ephesians 3:20)

He sets us in his presence forever. (Psalm 41:12)

Just like the colonists during that first celebration harvest, we need to be intentional in our gratitude. God is the one who supplies all of our blessings, both physical and spiritual. He is the one responsible for every blessing, and the one we need to direct our thanks to. As G.K. Chesterton stated, “The worst moment for an atheist is when he feels thankful and has no one to thank.” We have an awesome God who has given us so incredibly much. Let us offer our humble thanks to our Heavenly Father this Thanksgiving season!