A Doubt-Free Thanksgiving
This Thanksgiving, as you recount what you’re thankful for—include this good news:
The Lord has appointed me to tell the good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort those whose hearts are broken, to tell the captives they are free, and to tell the prisoners they are released. (Isaiah 61:1 NCV)
That’s the verse Jesus references when he’s asked what his mission is. He came to heal our broken hearts and set us free. Yet the enemy wants us to doubt God’s goodness. It’s been that way since the beginning of time.
Author John Eldredge put it this way:
Satan came into the Garden and whispered to Adam and Eve—and in them, to all of us—“You cannot trust the heart of God…he’s holding out on you…you’ve got to take matters under your control.” He sowed the seed of mistrust in our hearts; he tempted us to seize control. It’s the same lie he is using in your life today, by the way: Trusting God is way too risky. You’re far too vulnerable. Rewrite the Story. Give yourself a better part. Arrange for your own happiness. Disregard him. (Epic: The Story God Is Telling)
The enemy’s strategy of doubt didn’t end in Eden. We wrestle with it today. But doubt in God is neither necessary nor noble. David, through the Psalms, modeled a better way to handle doubt. He doubted the motive of others, the fairness of the world, and his current predicament. But unlike Adam and Eve—and often us—he didn’t doubt God’s goodness. He wrestled through his emotions and questions about God…with God. He wailed and pleaded and ranted to God. But he stayed with God through it all.
We can do the same with our disappointments. No matter what we face, it’s our choice whether to remain steadfast in believing that God is real and good and present. Since it’s a choice, may we choose to be thankful rather than doubtful today.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
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