Psalm 105:1a “Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!” (NKJV)

On the afternoon and evening of September 29th, we had a violent storm here in southern Ontario, Canada. Early in the afternoon, the branches on the trees in front of our house started to whip around. As time progressed, the wind became violent, and some of the leaves, still green, were torn off the branches. Pieces of dead branches began to be broken off by the now raging winds. I moved my car just in case one of the trees would fall over. At 5:30, we started to prepare for our evening meal and then the electricity went off. We waited awhile, and not knowing how long the power outage would last, we decided to have a sandwich instead. As it got dark, we lit some candles and tried to read our books. We then realized that without electricity, we could do nothing: no hot meals, no television, no Internet, no heat, even our telephones did not work. Why is it that we are thankful for our everyday blessings only after we lose them?

Mark chapter 4 tells of just such a storm. After Jesus had taught the crowds by way of parables beside the Sea of Galilee, He and the disciples set out by boat to the other side.

Mark 4:37-41 – And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (NKJV)

There are so many times when there are storms in our lives: storms of illness, storms of grief, storms of frustration, storms of old age, and storms of boredom. At such times, we know that we can come to Jesus in prayer, and He will hear us and bring calm into our lives. Unlike the disciples during the storm, what a blessing it is that we do know Who He is and what He can do. As we approach Thanksgiving, we should indeed be thankful for all the blessings that we have in our lives.

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, we have so many things for which to be thankful, and we know that in all the storms of life, we can come to You in prayer and be assured that You will hear us. We thank You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Joel Jongkind Meaford, Ontario, Canada