November 19, 2007

“Thanksgiving With Habakkuk”

If you are looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving because things are going well, then this e-pistle is not for you. If you are grateful that God has blessed you, and you feel sorry for those less fortunate, then this e-pistle is not for you. But if you are trying to celebrate in the midst of tough times, then the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk has a word for you.

Habakkuk reminds us that being thankful and rejoicing in the Lord is not just for good times. It is also for times when we are facing illness, grief, loss of a job, personal turmoil, or any one of a thousand other things which come our way in life. Anyone can be thankful when things are going well; Habakkuk reminds us to rejoice when life is tough. Read this passage from the third chapter, verses 17-19:

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.

The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights.

Wow! What a testimony to giving thanks during difficult times. The words and attitude of Habakkuk are reflected in Paul’s letter to the Philippians (4:4-7) in the New Testament, when he says:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Is it possible to share Thanksgiving during tough times? Is it possible to rejoice and give thanks even when things are not going well? Is it possible to make Thanksgiving more than just a time of being grateful that we are better off than others? The witness of Habakkuk and of the Apostle Paul says, “YES!” It is possible to give God thanks at all times and in the midst of all things.

So if this Thanksgiving time is a tough time for you, let it also be a time of trusting God, rejoicing, and giving thanks – even when “the fig tree does not bud.”

And for all of us – I pray for a Happy Thanksgiving!

from Bishop Michael J. Coyner

Indiana Area of the United Methodist Church
"Making a Difference ... in Indiana
and around the world"

TOP OF PAGE