by Mitchell Skelton Psalm 103:1 – 22

The observance of Thanksgiving is a tradition that we hold near to our heart as Americans. The tradition of gathering together with friends and family for Thanksgiving began almost 400 years ago at Plymouth Colony. The Pilgrims uprooted themselves and sailed for America on the Mayflower seeking religious freedom and a new way of life for their families. Through what they endured, it is amazing that we ever came to have this holiday at all. Instead of landing in Virginia where others from England had already established settlements, the Mayflower was blown off course and landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts just in time for winter to set in. What ensued next was enough to break the will of even the strongest of people, terrible storms and sickness ravaged the settlers. Gov. William Bradford described this first winter as, “That which was most sad and lamentable.” He went on to describe how that sometimes two even three people died each day. Shelter from the harsh winter was scant as the Pilgrims spent their time digging seven times as many graves for their dead as they built homes for the living. The very fact that the tradition of Thanksgiving originated from this band of beaten brothers is amazing indeed!

Wanting never to forget how God delivered them from their want the Pilgrims and their ancestors developed a tradition to remember the hard times from which they had been delivered. Whenever the Pilgrims gathered for a dinner of “thanksgiving” they had a custom of placing five kernels of corn upon an empty plate before the meal was served. Each member of the family would pick up a kernel and tell that for which they were thankful. This was a reminder to them how during that first winter at Plymouth food was so scarce that each individual was rationed only five kernels of corn each day.

As Christians, we should always remember, even in the direst circumstances, to place our reliance upon God. Today, as we look forward to Thanksgiving, let us take five kernels from Psalm 103 for which we can be thankful toward God.

“Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:1 – 5)

The Kernel of Forgiveness (Psalm 103:3a)

God’s forgiveness is something we can never earn. “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:10). Because of the mercy he has shown us, we should be continually thankful. God’s forgiveness is something we as sinful man can never fully understand. God’s forgiveness is complete forgiveness. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12)

The Kernel of Healing (Psalm 103:3b)

All healing is divine healing and the direct result of God’s work. The healing properties God built into our bodies are part of his process of divine healing. Modern medicines and the knowledge of Doctors are extensions of God’s healing. God does not promise to heal everyone’s diseases, but that he has the power to heal all diseases. Most importantly, God is the only one who can cure our spiritual diseases.

The Kernel of Redemption (Psalm 103:4a)

God is totally responsible for our redemption from sin. That is what it means when we read in scripture, “We are saved by grace.” By the grace of God he sent his Son to die in our place. “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18 – 19) . We could not pay for our sin, but Christ could and he did

The Kernel of Love and Compassion (Psalm 103:4b)

God’s compassion for us is like a father to his child. “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him” (Psalm 103:13). God’s love is unmatched in heaven or on earth. “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:6 – 8).

The Kernel of Blessing (Psalm 103:5)

God’s blessings are given to those who obey him. “But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’S love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts” (Psalm 103:17 – 18). God knows how to bless his children. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him” (Matt. 7:7 – 11).

This Thanksgiving take the time to give thanks!