Fill Your Horn with Oil

It is November, and grocery stores are stocking Thanksgiving essentials. Online advertisements abound with cute and fun holiday dinnerware. Family group chat notifications are non-stop to ensure this is the best Thanksgiving ever. Who is hosting? Which must-have dishes will be on the menu? Who is Christmas shopping after dinner?

It is a fun time to look forward to, but some are not as excited. The holiday can bring about depressed thoughts and feelings.

For a day that boasts the importance of family, many people will sadly spend the day alone. Reasons range from unresolved family disputes to divorce to singleness to other changing family dynamics. For others, the holiday has not been the same since mom passed. In all transparency, I get the dreaded feelings. My Thanksgiving is a complete 180 from what it used to be.

When our beloved holiday traditions change, it is easy to adopt a woe-is-me mindset. Yet, the loving God we serve won’t allow us to grieve too long about what “used to be.”

I am reminded of 1 Samuel 16:1: “How long will you grieve over Saul since I have rejected him from being King over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go.” God offers Samuel a stern reminder that God is sovereign, and He changed the circumstances in Saul’s life. The same stern, loving message applies to us today. God is in control, so how long will you grieve what once was? Remember Job 1:21, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.” But by God’s grace, we fill our horns with oil and go because He has chosen a different plan for our lives.

When our lives change, it may feel as if we have lost everything, but if we focus on God’s grace, we will recognize that God has provided everything we need in Him. Psalm 23:5, “You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows.” God is the constant in our life that never changes. Our cup overflows with the love of our heavenly Father and His promise of eternal life with Him. When we focus on God, we won’t have time to lament over what once was, and we can confidently fill our horns with oil and go.

May God keep you and bless you,

Tika