On Sept. 16, 1620, two ships set sail from Plymouth, England: the Speedwell and the Mayflower. The Speedwell encountered much difficulty as they began their journey, springing many leaks in the ship. So when the two ships went to Port in Plymouth, England, the Speedwell decided to go no further, and 42 passengers from the Speedwell joined the 60 passengers and 30 crew members aboard the Mayflower.

Of the 102 passengers on board the Mayflower, the majority were devout Christians. They were coming to America to shake loose from the bonds of the Church of England so they could worship God as they believed the scriptures taught. And with great excitement and expectations, they set sail for a new land.

It wasn’t long before the trip became difficult for several reasons. The nights were cold, damp and dark. They encountered many fierce storms which shook the ship with tremendous force. These 100 people – cold and wet on wooden ship in the middle of the ocean – put their hope, trust and lives into the hands of God.

The battered ship finally came within sight of Cape Cod Nov. 19, 1620. The Pilgrims scanned the shoreline just to the west of them.

Before going ashore they decided to write a document known as the Mayflower Compact.

At the heart of the compact lay an undisputed conviction that God must be at the center of all law and order, and the law without a moral base is really no law at all.

Then, according to William Bradford, who later became the first governor of the new land, “they came to anchor in the Bay, which was a good harbor…and they blessed the God of Heaven, who brought them over the fast and furious ocean… and a sea of trouble.”

We usually picture the first Thanksgiving in America as the time when the Pilgrims and the Indians got together for a great feast. But I tend to look at that time when, on the sea-battered Mayflower anchored in the bay at Cape Cod, a group of weary and worn men and women were on their knees praising their God in Heaven for bringing them safely through the treacherous sea to this new land, as the real first Thanksgiving.

What has God brought you through in your life? You have gone through some rough times in the journey of life. You may not have the best this world has to offer, but you certainly have the best that the Lord our God has to offer: Jesus Christ.

We should be ever thankful to the Lord our God for the precious gift of His Son, who gave His life to pay the sin debt that we could never pay so that He could give us something that we could never earn: life eternal. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift. (2 Corinthians 9:15)

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