It’s Thanksgiving week. It’s sad but true. Many children today are taught a distorted version of Thanksgiving. Some say God has no role in it. Others think it started when the pilgrims thanked their friends for helping them with the task of overcoming hard times in the beginning. But there’s much more to the story.

From the beginning of our nation’s history, we can see God’s provision and God’s protection. In the fall of 1620, 102 pilgrims crowded onto the Mayflower ship, and you know that story, seeking religious freedom. They were ordinary English men and women and children, packed into the ship’s small cargo area with only about five and a half feet of headroom. Can you imagine that? Violent storms kept them from going above deck, but I’ll tell you what, God protected them.

During a severe storm, the ship’s main beam of the ship cracked, putting their lives in danger. And despite this, God made a way to save and protect God’s people. In the cargo of that ship, for two months, hard to believe, crammed in that cargo space. Can you imagine that? No beds, no heaters, not enough food. They could have died in diseases, but God kept them alive. Now these pilgrims believe in a God who heard their prayers and knew He was in control of the whole situation. Not the government or not the people, but God. And these people believe that there’s a God in heaven who hears their cry, and they believe that God was in control of everything.

Oh, I have great news for you, friend. God is still on His throne today. The same God that they had, the same God in the Scripture, is the God that we serve today. And He always, always takes good care of His own. Happy Thanksgiving week to all of you. Let’s be grateful.

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Alvin Martinez

Alvin Martinez, Assistant Pastor

Alvin Martinez is an Assistant Pastor at North Valley Baptist Church. He teaches the Lifeline Bible Class and Sunday Evening School of the Bible.