Trinity Lutheran Church Blog

Thanksgiving is a special opportunity to express our gratitude to God for His provision and blessing throughout the year.

Are there any needs in your life that have not yet been met? Maybe after months of looking for a job, you are still unemployed. Maybe you are facing a lingering health issue that is still unresolved.

Maybe you have offered up your prayer to God asking Him to meet your need and you are still waiting for an answer. Doesn’t the Bible say, “God will supply all your needs?” (Philippians 4:19)

Yes, He will, but it will be “according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” The background of this promise reveals that His resources come to us as a result of our faith relationship with Christ. Psalm 84:11 tells us that “No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” This means that your heart is bent toward the Lord and you want to please Him.

Of course He will not support a lifestyle not in step with His word and will because it is not in your best interest and will not bring glory to Him.

God does want you to come to Him in time of need and ask Him to supply what you lack. Asking Him for help shows that your attitude is one of humble dependence and not prideful self-reliance.

When you come to God in need, your motives must be pure. James 4:3 says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasure.”

Our requests should always be in accordance with the Father’s will. (1 John 5:14-15) God not only knows what you need; He also knows when to give it. He always knows the best time to grant your petitions. Isaiah 64:4 says that God “acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.” You need to be patient!

You need to realize that God’s way of meeting your needs may not be what you envisioned or hoped.

You must keep your eyes on the Lord, not on your needs. Matthew 6:33 gives you the proper focus, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Our top priority in life is spiritual in nature, our relationship to Christ. If your main concern is what you need, then you are not seeking the kingdom of God. Don’t reverse this divine order by trying to use God to get what you desire.

Instead, place all your requests under His authority, acknowledging His right to give to you, or not.  Remember, your greatest need is to develop godly character, a selfless attitude, a renewed mind, and a surrendered will.  That’s what you should be seeking and asking the Lord to produce in you.

This Thanksgiving season carve out some time to thank God for His special blessings in your life. For example, even though He may not have given financial prosperity, He might have produced trust and contentment within you. Instead of healing you physically, perhaps He taught you that His grace is sufficient in your weakness. And through loneliness, maybe He gave you the comfort of a closer relationship with Him. By focusing on the Lord’s spiritual provisions, you will gain a new understanding of His ways, and your gratitude will overflow.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1)

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise;” here at Trinity on Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, November 24th, at Noon & 7:00 p.m. to “give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever.” (Psalm 100: 4, 5)

Always in His Grip,

Filed under: Messages from Pastor Kittel