Thankful When You Don't Feel Like ItSample

In front of them, a massive sea. Behind them, all of Pharaoh’s military might. Nothing between the children of Israel and certain annihilation except a wall of flame. It seemed as though the promise God had made to Adam and Eve of a Savior would die along with the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They had been released as slaves from Egypt, but Pharoah had changed his mind and pursued Israel with his best warriors and chariots.

Then, the Red Sea parted, and Israel crossed on dry ground. When the armies of Pharaoh followed, their chariot wheels began to break off, and the walls of water collapsed on them, sealing their fate.

Now, standing on the other side of the Red Sea, having witnessed the literal salvation of the Lord, the people of Israel raised a song of thanksgiving and praise to Jehovah.

Had you or I been in that same situation, we, too, would have been raising a song of praise. But do you realize that the same God that delivered His people from that challenging situation is the same God we serve today? He is still all-powerful, and He is on our side. He wants what is best for us.

Now I am not sure that if you pray, the ground is going to swallow up your enemies, or that they will get buried by walls of water. In fact, that is probably not the prayer we should be praying, although at times it may seem like the one we want to pray.

We should be thankful because we serve a God who can overcome life’s greatest challenges. The challenges we face today are no match for Him, so take those situations to Him in prayer.

The last thing to remember when we do not want to give thanks is that we should be thankful because Jesus overcame life’s greatest challenge. It was not the challenge of Israel crossing the Red Sea. It was the challenge of rescuing a person standing on the precipice of hell. That person was you, and that person was me.

We deserve eternal separation from God in a place designed for the devil and his fallen angels. We deserve the lake of fire that Jesus described as a very real place. There is no way for us to cross the abyss of hell. Suddenly, the cross of Jesus Christ appears. If we accept by faith the payment that He made for us on that cross, it will allow us to cross that chasm of hell and bring us to eternal life in Heaven.

That is what Jesus did when He came to earth. He shed His blood for our sins, and all we must do – all we can do – is believe and receive His gift of eternal life. Jesus is alive and wants to save every person that will simply believe in Him by faith. That is the most important thing for which we can be thankful.