Psalm 67:6-7 “Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.”

This passage shares the focus of our national Day of Thanksgiving. “The land will yield its harvest, and God will bless us.” Whether this year’s harvest for you came in the form of cash in the bank or stock options, whether it came in the form of a new job or a steady job, whether it resulted in a great surplus or just enough to cover the bills, the Lord has faithfully blessed us once again with all that we need for our body and life. This Thanksgiving holiday we have feasted to draw attention again to how richly our God provides.

“But wait a minute,” you might say. “What does this have to do with all the spiritual blessings God gives his people? Doesn’t the Lord give the necessities of life to people regardless of their faith? Aren’t their pagans whose harvest has been richer and whose feast will be far bigger than anything we enjoy?” And it is true, as Jesus says, that God “causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45).

But listen again to the words of the Psalm, “Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God will bless us.” Many an unbeliever looks at the turkey on the table and sees only something to satisfy his stomach. But God has opened our eyes by faith. We see God blessing us there. Here is a tangible token of that love which is endlessly involved in giving us gifts and providing our every earthly and spiritual need. “May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the people’s praise you”–for your rich harvest of love.