Thankful That God Knows Best

I receive a daily devotion from Pastor Paul Chappell in Lancaster, CA.  It has some great stuff in it, including some really great stories and illustrations.  I received this one this week and just had to share the story with you.  I hope that you will enjoy it and be reminded that God has all things under control, even when we can’t see how a situation would possibly work out.  If you would like to receive Pastor Chappell’s devotions, you can do that by clicking here

 

Most of us have heard the story of the first Thanksgiving—at least, of the Pilgrims, but not many have heard of all the events leading up to that first Thanksgiving. Historians believe that around 1608—more than a decade before the Pilgrims landed in the New World—a group of English traders, led by Captain Hunt, sailed to what is today Plymouth, Massachusetts. When the trusting Wampanoag Indians came out to trade, Hunt took them prisoner, transported them to Spain, and sold them into slavery.

But God had an amazing plan for one of the captured Indians—a boy named Squanto. A well-meaning Spaniard, who treated him well and taught him the Christian faith, bought Squanto. Squanto eventually made his way to England and worked in the stable of a man named John Slaney. Slaney sympathized with Squanto’s desire to return home, and he promised to put the Indian on the first vessel bound for America.

It wasn’t until 1619—ten years after Squanto was first kidnapped—that a ship was found. Finally, after a decade of exile and heartbreak, Squanto was on his way home. But when he arrived in Massachusetts, more heartbreak awaited him. An epidemic had wiped out Squanto’s entire village.

We can only imagine what must have gone through Squanto’s mind. Why had God allowed him to return home, against all odds, only to find his loved ones dead? A year later, the answer came. A shipload of English families arrived and settled on the very land once occupied by Squanto’s people. Squanto went to meet them, greeting the startled Pilgrims in English.

According to the diary of Pilgrim Governor William Bradford, Squanto “became a special instrument sent of God for [our] good . . . He showed [us] how to plant corn, where to take fish and to procure other commodities . . . and was also [our] pilot to bring [us] to unknown places for [our] profit, and never left [us] till he died.”

Only God could have orchestrated these events to preserve the Pilgrims when they landed in the New World. God in His sovereignty answered the Pilgrims’ prayers years before they arrived in Plymouth. The God that the Pilgrims served is doing the same for us as well! While we may not see how He is working, He is making provisions for us beyond what we could imagine!

It is good as we approach Thanksgiving to thank God for all He has given and done for us already, but let’s remember to thank Him for His providence and for what He is doing right now on our behalf though we may not see how He is working.

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