1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 The Message (MSG)
Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
November is here, and with it comes the busiest holiday season-first Thanksgiving, then the headlong rush into Christmas. Some television channels have rolled over into round-the-clock holiday movies, and I know of two stations on my satellite radio that have made the switch as well. If your family is like mine, you are already making plans for Thanksgiving. When our children were young, that was easy. We packed up the car and pointed it up Highway 45 to north Mississippi to see grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and eat ourselves silly. Now our children are adults; one lives in a different state, and this year Thanksgiving plans are being made around their work schedules. Instead of heading north, the Davis parents will be heading south, stationing ourselves in a location about halfway between our son in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and our daughter in Tallahassee, Florida. Turkey and dressing may be replaced with a shrimp boil-but we haven’t gotten that far yet. Even with these changes, it’s not our first Thanksgiving that’s really different. That happened last year, and it was that different kind of Thanksgiving that many people experience year after year-the first Thanksgiving with that empty chair at the table.
The call came at 3 a.m. on November 17, 2016. My father’s heart had taken its last beat, and he died very peacefully in his sleep. It was just as his doctor said it would happen-instantly and painlessly-well, at least for my daddy. We knew our time with him was very short, and we were all prepared for him not to be with us at Christmas. To say that the following days were difficult is the understatement of the century, but that Thanksgiving Thursday one week after his passing and five days after his funeral, with that empty place at the table, and a son-in-law offering the blessing instead of that voice I loved so dearly-I just can’t describe the full range of emotions that day. Other people who have been there will tell you the same, as well.
It’s a time like this when you read Scripture passages like the one above and immediately ask yourself, “Really? I’m supposed to be cheerful no matter what? I’m supposed to thank God right now, no matter what?” My friend, I can tell you with the utmost certainty YES, YES, YES! In the middle of grief so very raw, there was cheerful laughter as we talked about Thanksgivings past (and believe me, we have had some doozies!). We gave thanks to God, not only for our meal that day, but for the life and legacy of the man who had led our family and the churches he pastored so faithfully. It wasn’t what we had planned, but it was in God’s perfect plan. By doing these things, we were doing exactly what God wanted us to do.
As this season of celebrating Thanksgiving comes, there will be people having a different kind of Thanksgiving. For some, there will be someone dearly loved missing from the table because death came to their door. For others, that missing person will be that son, daughter, or grandchild stationed far from home, serving our great nation and protecting our freedom. Others will be having a different Thanksgiving filled with uncertainty for the future because circumstances have changed-the loss of a job, a cut back in hours, or job insecurity. The future is scary and filled with questions. These situations and so many more will make this season different. And still, God tells us, “Praise Me anyway. Be happy anyway. Keep praying anyway. I am Your Father in the good and the bad. I know it’s easy to do these when it’s good. But now is your time to shine as you stand firm in My promises. This is how I want you to live. This is where My greatest glory will be revealed.”
There’s a song by Jeff and Sheri Easter that beautifully complements this passage from 1 Thessalonians. If you are facing a different kind of Thanksgiving this year, I pray that you will take these words from the chorus to heart:
When everything falls apart
Praise His Name
And when you have a broken heart
Just raise your hands and say
Lord, you’re all I need
You’re everything to me
And you’ll take the pain away
When it seems you’re all alone
Praise His Name
When you feel you can’t go on
Just raise your hands and say
Greater is He that is within me
You can praise the hurt away
If you’ll just praise His Name
—“Praise His Name” Jeff and Sheri Easter