Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:4-5

This, of course, is the week of Thanksgiving.  This is the time that we commemorate the coming of the Pilgrims to America. As we think about the holiday, we may envision happy pilgrims sitting down with friendly Native Americans and feasting on a sunny day in New England. We tend to forget the sacrifice made by that small band of believers who sailed to the New World on the Mayflower not only to escape religious persecution in Europe and England but to spread the gospel as well.  I want to quote some of Stephen Mansfield’s article from his Leading Thoughts publication in which he provided a Thanksgiving meditation for this week.

“For 66 days the little ship, no longer than a modern volleyball court, made the treacherous voyage from England to the coast of what would one day be Massachusetts. When the Pilgrims arrived, what must their thoughts have been as they stared at the howling wilderness that was to be their home? William Bradford, later their Governor, recalled:

Being thus passed the vast ocean, and a sea of troubles before in their preparation, they had now no friends to welcome them, nor inns to entertain or refresh their weather-beaten bodies, no house or much less towns to repair too, to seek for succor.  What could sustain them but the Spirit of God and his grace. May not and ought not the children of these fathers, rightly say: ‘Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness.’

And perish they almost did. More than half of them died during that first winter, often called “the starving time.” At one point, each person’s ration for a day was no more than five kernels of corn and a few ounces of brackish water. Native friends like Squanto and Samoset taught the whites how to harvest the bay and the land, but the yield would not be sufficient until the next year. So they buried their dead and prayed for the mercy of God.

In the spring they planted and soon after began sensing that God had heard their prayers. The previous winter had been the worst of times, but the harvest looked bountiful now, the settlement was growing, and God seemed to be smiling upon them.

When the harvest was gathered that fall, their leaders called for some of the men to go hunting in preparation for a great feast to celebrate the goodness of God. Wild fowl, fish, and venison were gratefully prepared. They invited their native friends, too, who brought five freshly killed deer. The white women prepared hoecakes, cornmeal pudding, and a variety of vegetables while the Indian women introduced delicacies made with blueberries, apples, and cherries. The most welcome new food the natives brought with them, though, was a new way of cooking corn in an earthen pot until it became white and fluffy—popcorn!

It was indeed a thanksgiving, but not just for safety and abundance of food. It was also a time to remember the words they had penned about their purpose for coming while they were still on board The Mayflower. They came, they said, “for the Glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith,” “for propagating and advancing the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of the world; yea, though they should be but even as stepping-stones unto others for the performing of so great a work.”

So they were, and we ought to remember them this Thanksgiving, and take their mission to our hearts.

Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone to many, yea in some sort to our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise.

William Bradford, “Of Plimoth Plantation””

It would have been easy to turn their backs on God as nearly half of those who came to America died the first winter.  It would have been easy for them to focus on their loss and see God as a cruel God or a detached God who let their family members perish after sailing across a treacherous ocean for his glory.  Instead, they focused on his goodness and gave thanks for what he did provide and out of their sacrifice and his provision came more than they could ever imagine.

As modern Americans we tend to believe that God is good only when everything is going our way.  The idea of hardships and sacrifice doesn’t seem to be in our playbook, so at the first sign of struggle, loss, or disappointment we begin to question God and his goodness.  We begin to question whether he really cares for us.  It is in those moments that thanksgiving becomes a powerful weapon in spiritual warfare.

The first temptation recorded in scripture was in the Garden of Eden. As you recall, Satan asked Eve a question subtly suggesting that God was withholding good things from the couple he had created.  Once that seed of doubt about God’s love for them was planted, their faith was undermined and sin had its way. The opposite of giving thanks is complaining.  One of the negatives that marked the Hebrews in the wilderness in the days of Moses was that they constantly grumbled and complained.

At the heart of their complaint was the idea that God wasn’t treating them as they deserved.  Although God had just led them out of 400 years of slavery in Egypt with flocks and gold in their hands and was feeding them daily with supernatural bread from heaven and providing water, as it was needed, it wasn’t enough.

When believers complain, it is an accusation against God.  It is a statement that in our hearts we believe that God isn’t watching over us or treating us well or treating us fairly as he should.  Satan loves to sow discontent which again plants a seed that questions God’s goodness toward us.  Once we start down that road we may begin to see God as an adversary who is withholding good things from us or who even delights in hurting us.

Paul, writing from a prison cell, to the church at Philippi said…

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.

As complaining marked the people of God in the wilderness, thanksgiving and an absence of complaints should mark those who follow Jesus.  Those who complained in the wilderness never entered the Promise Land. On the other hand, faith believes that God is good and that he is watching over us.  Faith says that God will always meet our essential needs.  Faith says that trouble will come our way in a fallen world but that God will see us through that hardship.  Faith says that God will even use those hard circumstances to bring about some good in our lives.  Faith says that this world is not our home but a preparation for home.  Faith says that we should not always expect comfort in the midst of a war zone, but that the God of all comfort will meet us in hard times.

The Pilgrims understood that principle and gave thanks in the midst of hardship. David, in Psalm 100, declared that thanksgiving opens the gates to God’s presence and praise, which flows from thanksgiving, brings us into his courts.  I believe that thanksgiving is a spiritual discipline because our fallen nature is quick to complain.  Our fallen nature declares that even when life is good, it isn’t good enough.

Someone said that complaining is the language of hell, while thanksgiving is the language of heaven.  I think that is true.  When we complain, we come into agreement with the enemy. When we give thanks, we align our selves with heaven.  So … this Thanksgiving, I want to resolve to eradicate complaint in my life because it is an open door for the enemy and I want to grow in giving thanks because that opens a door to heaven. Be blessed today and give thanks even in hardship because God does care for you.