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Being Thankful for the Faithfulness of God

Scripture Thought for the Week: Because of the Lords great love we are not

consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your

faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

As we enter the month of November our thoughts naturally focus on the upcoming holiday

of Thanksgiving. Where will we be celebrating? What casseroles or desserts will we need

to prepare? Should we host the event this year? These questions are among the most

asked as our thoughts revolve on gathering around the table and feasting on our favorite

foods. Are we finding a few moments to truly be thankful for the previous years

blessings? Do we take the time to count our blessings and more importantly, naming them

one by one?

The book of Lamentations deals with the destruction of Jerusalem. Authorship has been

bestowed upon the prophet, Jeremiah, who was an eyewitness of the disaster inflicted by

the Babylonian army. The book reads as a funeral poem due to the grief Jeremiah bears

upon seeing the fall of his beloved homeland. Not exactly what one would deem

appropriate thanksgiving devotional material; however, the scripture referenced above was

found within the pages of this story. As I turned the pages of my Bible to the requested

verses, I saw that the verses were already marked in my Bible. Lamentations isnt a book

of the Bible you readily turn to read, so I looked closer at the verses and their message.

Tucked within this book whose meaning includes the words, to wail, to cry out in grief,

to mourn aloud, I found a nugget of treasure. I found hope.

Because of the Lords great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, The Lord is my

portion; therefore I will wait for him. Lamentations 3:22-23

In the midst of trial and tribulation, with his homeland of Jerusalem falling into the hands

of the enemy, Jeremiah still remembered that God embodies hope for his children. God is

still in control of the situations of life. Life is full of ups and downs, bumps and

disappointments and uncontrollable events of nature. There are times when we wail, cryout in grief and mourn out loud, but God does hear every sound we make. To soothe and

minister to our brokenness, God wraps us in his love so we are not consumed in our times of

grief. Tucked within lament, as written in Lamentations, bursts forth a song of praise

which has been penned in a well known hymn entitled, Great is Thy Faithfulness.

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Written by Thomas O. Chisholm (1866-1960), reflect on the scripture penned by Jeremiah

from which this song was given life and realize how much God loves and cares for his

children as we walk lifes journey.

Great is Thy Faithfulness, O God my Father;

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;

As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Refrain.

Great is Thy Faithfulness!

Great is Thy Faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

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As we prepare in the coming weeks for the feast of Thanksgiving, lets concentrate more

fully on exactly what the concept of being thankful truly means. Ask the Lord to lead you

to an individual that needs to be shown what hope looks like and enable you to be that

answer to prayer to one in need remembering, All I have needed they hand hath provided;

great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Father God, thank you for your amazing faithfulness. Thank you for inspiring

individuals like Thomas Chisholm who wrote songs that transcends the ages to lift us

in times of grief, wailing and crying out loud. God, you are so good to us. May we

search Your Word continually to discover nuggets of strength to comfort us and give

hope in which we may spread to others on our journey. In Jesus name, Amen.