Thanksgiving 2023
Thankful for the Family of God
Thanksgiving is one of the most important holidays on the calendar. In recent years, it has taken a beating thanks to overeager Christmas lovers and cries from pseudo-historians, but it still remains fixed on the calendar. While it is certainly not a Christian holiday, I still maintain it is one of the most important because it reminds us to pause.
The year has been filled with ups and downs, busy work, productive work, healthy days, sick days, kids growing up, kids moving out, kids moving back in, planting, cultivating, harvesting, and the myriad of other activities that occur in any given year. The holiday season begins with the spooky fun of Halloween, and just when the local retail stores are ready to pull their Mariah Carey CD out of the closet, we remember to take a break for Thanksgiving.
We are reminded to give thanks. Even though many will give thanks through a gluttonous feast, we at least are reminded to be thankful for the people we have in our lives.
This week I was reminded of a theory in psychology that describes how we grow attached to one another. Now, I know that’s an abrupt change of topic, but the theory describes how family attachments are made—even when those family connections are not biological. Well, hearing about this theory, which has much to do with adoption, and then how it is connected to how the Bible describes how we are adopted into the Family of God, it made me give thanks again to be adopted by God.
Attachment theory essentially is described with 4 S’s. The four S’s of a secure attachment refer to feeling safe, seen, soothed, and secure. While we certainly do not want to impose modern psychology on top of the Bible, it is interesting how this theory certainly lines up with the biblical narrative—especially in relation to how God adopts us as His children.
Safe
The Lord saves us from an abusive, destructive family in order to bring us into His loving, life-giving family.
Seen
The Lord sees us in our struggle with life.
Soothed
The Lord actively cares for us in our affliction.
Secure
The Lord secured our eternity and future.
Now, my first thought was to examine the doctrine of adoption using these categories surveying the relevant Scriptures. But then God reminded of Psalm 27, and as I read it, I noticed how these four themes are interlaced—obviously not in this particular order, though.
As we read through Psalm 27 together, I would like you to keep this question in mind:
How do these verses relate to my own relationship with God?
You see David wrote this psalm as he reflected his own relationship with God. So, as we read, where do you see similarities? Where might you wish you saw more of a verse as true in your life?
Let’s begin in 27:1.
The Lord is our Salvation | Psalm 27:1-3
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.Psalm 27:1-3
David begins with a wonderful memory verse and a rhetorical question. “The Lord is my light and may salvation; whom shall I fear?” The Lord is light—meaning because of the Lord we can see around us. David doesn’t mean just the sun and our physical surroundings. ‘Light’ is commonly a metaphor for ‘understanding’. Just like the sun allows us to see around us and helps us find our way, the Lord allows us to see reality more clearly and helps us find our way in this life. And when we are looking for the right way, we find salvation—so the Lord is also our salvation.
C. S. Lewis said he believed in Christianity like he believed in the sun—not because he can see it, but because through it, he can see everything.
The Lord helps us understand true reality beyond what we can see and smell.
David then gives another truth before repeating his rhetorical question. “The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” The answer to this one is just like the first—no one. Why should David be afraid when the Lord offers salvation, understanding, and is the stronghold for David’s life?
The next couple of verses describes the situation David finds himself. Even when his enemies do attack, and even if they encircle David, he does not need to be afraid. They are the ones who will stumble and fall. David will remain confident.
When we are in God’s hands, we can remain confident in the darkest of times.
Now, let’s pause for a moment and think about adoption into God’s Family. Jesus came so that we can be a part of the Family of God. It is through Jesus that we have forgiveness of sin which has separated us from God and clouded our understanding of this world. The enemies that surround us may look like those who hate us, sicknesses that ravage our bodies, or the any number of things in this life that attack us. But if we look deep in our souls, we realize we are our own worst enemy. It is our own rebellion against God and His design for this life that is the problem.
Jesus came to save us from this dreaded state. When we surrender to Him, we realize the truth of this life. God is not our enemy, He is our light and our salvation. He is not waiting to get us one more time. He is waiting for us to turn to Him so He can be the stronghold of our very lives. And when He is our stronghold, we have a place to hide and gain strength. Let’s continue.
The Lord is our Hiding Place | Psalm 27:4-6
One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.Psalm 27:4-6
This life is hard sometimes. There’s no way around it. Sin, both ours and the people’s around us, has turned this world into something it wasn’t designed to be. But in those dark days of living, when it gets harder to celebrate the good that is still around us, we can take refuge in the house of the Lord.
Now, take a look at the words David uses for the house of the Lord. Of course, first there is ‘house’. Then he calls it ‘temple,’ then ‘shelter,’ then ‘tent.’ These are not just different words for the sake of poetry.
It is the house of the Lord, because it is where living can occur. It’s not the ‘business place’ of the Lord, or the ‘workshop’ of the Lord. It is a place of recuperation, dining, and enjoying the family.
It is the shelter of the Lord because it is where the elements of the world are kept at bay. The sun cannot scorch us, the rain cannot drown us, and all the other hassles of nature are left outside.
It is the tent of the Lord because the Lord does not stay in just one place. In fact, this word also points us to Jesus. In John 1:14, John says,
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
The same root word for ‘tent’ in Psalm 27 is the same root word for ‘dwelt’ in John. John is literally saying Jesus “pitched a tent here.” But this word is even more loaded with meaning. It is also the same word used when Moses led the Israelites; when they had a mobile temple for the Lord called a tabernacle.
As David describes the house of the Lord and all the great blessings that come from being in the House of the Lord, we can also compare those with all the blessings that come from Jesus. We can dwell with Jesus all the days of our lives. We gaze upon the beauty of the Lord when we look at Jesus. We can hide in Jesus during the days of trouble. And Jesus will lift us up at the right time above all our enemies. And we can sing and make melody to the Lord because of Jesus.
We can be certain the Lord sees us in our trouble. If we turn from our sin and ask for forgiveness, Jesus is faithful to forgive us and save us because He cares for us. He has demonstrated his love for us by offering himself as the sacrifice for sin. Just as the Israelites in the tabernacle made sacrifices to pay for their sins, Jesus made himself the last sacrifice for the sin of the world.
Because of Jesus, we can dwell with the Lord all the days of our lives.
The Lord Hears Us When We Pray | Psalm 27:7-10
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
O God of my salvation!For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
but the Lord will take me in.
David continues his psalm, and it reminds us of those days when we just aren’t in the melody making mood. So far, psalm 27 has been joyful. Despite being surrounded by enemies, David has been steadfast to celebrate in the Lord. But here, David takes a darker moment. Perhaps he has remembered one of his past sins. Maybe he messed up between verses 6 and 7. For whatever reason, David is now questioning whether the Lord hears him.
But notice how it ends, “but the Lord will take me in.”
David knows his faith is not based on feelings. He knows his salvation is not based on feelings. The Lord does not save because we feel good. He saves because He loves us, and having a bad day doesn’t change that!
Our faith is not based on our feelings. It is based on the reality of God’s love for us.
Even those in the family of God, who have been adopted as sons and daughters of God, may find themselves in the dumps. But remember, your faith is not your feelings. It has been bought by the blood of the Lamb of God. Salvation does not come and go with the ups and downs of life. It is an anchor that holds steady even in the roughest of times.
The Lord will take you in.
The Lord will Guide Us into the Next Age | Psalm 27:11-14
Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence.I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living!Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!Psalm 27:11-14
In this last bit, we see just how far our salvation will take us. First, it will take us through those times when our enemies rise up and speak lies about us. They will say things like, “You can’t change. God doesn’t really love you.” “They will breathe out violence.” It is foolish talk, but it is still talk that can sting. But we can ask the Lord to teach us His way, the way that leads us on a level path. It is the Way that cannot be altered by the enemies of this world.
This way is Jesus. Jesus even said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” If we want to know the Lord, and know about the Lord’s way for us, we find both in Jesus.
In Jesus, we find the way to the Lord and the way of true living.
Last, take a look again at verse 13. David believes he will look upon the goodness of the Lord “in the land of the living.” This is an odd phrase at first glance, but he has given us a reminder. Those who die in the Lord are not really dead. If we are in Christ, we do not die and go to the “land of the dead.” We go to the land of the living. We will be more alive, in fact, than we ever were on earth.
This is what I mean by ‘true living’. It is not just about living well in this life, though our salvation can certainly accomplish that. It is about living in the way that transcends this life.
One day, Jesus will return and will complete the task of transforming this world into a new heaven and new earth. Now, whether we live in this body until that day, or even if we lay this body into the ground, we can know that we will look upon the Lord with our very eyes because of Jesus.
Why? Because Jesus has adopted us into His family! When you turn to Jesus, you will find salvation. You will find yourself seen by the Lord. You will soothed in your darkest days. And, your very eternity will be secure.