A Thanksgiving Devotion

Israel had crossed the Red Sea, and the Egyptian army had drowned in their pursuit, and 400 years of slavery to the Egyptians had come to an end in a dramatic way. One would think there would be continual rejoicing and thanksgiving as the people considered what their God, Yahweh, had done. But no, the first thing we read about after the Red Sea incident isn't rejoicing, but grumbling about the shortage of water (Exodus 15:24). It wasn’t long before they grumbled about not having enough food. Understand that this isn’t just a few disgruntled guys; Exodus 16:2 says it was the “whole congregation.” So, God began to provide manna in the morning and quail in the evening. That surely brought thanksgiving, right? No, Oh, they liked it for a while, but soon were complaining again. In Numbers 11:5-6, it is recorded that Israel complained, “We remember the fish which we used to eat for free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.”

Sadly, we are not so different than Israel when it comes to being thankful. Instead of being grateful for what God has given us, we complain about it and tell God we wish we had something else. Warren Wiersbe wrote, “You can be sure that if God did give us what we asked for, we would eventually complain about that. The person who has gotten accustomed to his blessing can never be satisfied.”

Thanksgiving Day is a day that we can take a look at our “Thanksgiving Barometer”. Do we have so many blessings that we are now only grateful for the abundance in our lives?

Would we look upon daily bread as a hardship rather than a blessing? There is great danger for Christians of becoming so accustomed to God’s blessings that those blessings fail to excite us as they once did.

This Thanksgiving Day may be a good time for each of us to reevaluate what generates feelings of gratitude in us. May God help us never to grow too accustomed to our blessings.