Some people might think that the pilgrims should be angry with God. Everyone had suffered so much and half of the people died. Only four of the married wives survived. That first year was a time of great sorrow and yet, in the end, they held a three-day feast to give thanks to God. They had invited the Indians to their feast and thanked them for their help, but they knew God was the one who had brought them help when they needed it. God was the one who saw to it that their harvest was plentiful. God was the one who blessed them with life.
The pilgrims could identify with Jeremiah in Jeremiah 33:11 "...Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for His mercy endureth forever:..."
Jeremiah was the prophet who told Israel that because of their sins, Babylon would come to kill and conquer Jerusalem. Their king would be blinded and taken away to Babylon. The people would die horrible deaths and the living would wish they had died. But with all the gloom and doom that Jeremiah spoke of he still blessed the Lord as good and merciful. Jeremiah knew that even in times of disaster, God would be watching over them and see them through all of it.
God did see the pilgrims through those rough times. God was watching over those pioneers to the New World. Their descendants live today among us because of the merciful grace of God.
Perhaps you are going through times of distress and don't know where to turn. I urge you to be like the courageous pilgrims and trust God to watch over you and see you through those times of trouble. Give thanks today that God is faithful and merciful.
God deserves our praise and thanksgiving even in times of trouble.
Photo by Gabriel Garcia Marengo on Unsplash
No comments:
Post a Comment