Concerned Women for America - Season of Miracles

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Saturday, March 20, 2010

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Season of Miracles 11/26/2003
By George Tryfiates, Executive Director

Historical details of the first Thanksgiving reveal that God is mighty, full of grace—and He works miracles.

Thanksgiving is a uniquely Christian and uniquely American holiday. At this time, let's reflect on the series of miracles that made possible the holiday—let alone the founding of our country.

Consider this:

Do you remember that the Pilgrims didn’t land where they originally intended? No, indeed! It turns out the Mayflower “just happened” to be blown off course. As a result, the Pilgrims settled far north of their intended landing. That meant they needed a new governing structure. The result: the Mayflower Compact, an unprecedented document of self-government in 1620.

America was a wild, untamed place before its settlement. However, the Pilgrims “just happened” to land at a spot where they found generally peaceable Indians. It wasn’t always like that. Shortly before the Pilgrims arrived, a mysterious disease wiped out the violent, warlike Patuxets native to that very region. Afterwards, other tribes tended to steer clear of the area under the impression that their god had cursed it.

Yes, Nauset Indians and the Pilgrims had a violent exchange at first, but the Pilgrims became friendly with the Wampanoags and enjoyed a peace and cooperation agreement that lasted some 40 years. They held their land by right and purchased the rest.

The Pilgrims landed in winter and a large number died during the General Sickness of the winter of 1620/21. But, in the spring, Samoset "just happened" to come strolling into the settlement. To the complete astonishment of the Pilgrims (and anyone who knows the story), this man “just happened” to speak English! Think of it—in the wilds of America, a native "just happened" to speak English. Samoset introduced the Pilgrims to the Wampanoag Chief Massasoit and helped arrange their long-lasting friendship. Samoset, an Algonquin Indian from what is now Maine, enjoyed traveling. He "just happened" to be there at that time. He “just happened” to learn English from his travels.

Samoset wasn’t the only wandering one. Squanto was also living with the Wampanoags and, it turns out, he also spoke English. It “just happens” that he was a Patuxet who survived the plague. He missed the plague because he “just happened” to be away when it ravaged all his family and friends.

Where was he? His story goes back to 1605 when he was taken to England with a group of natives who served, basically, as intelligence sources about the New World for their hosts. He spent nine years, there(learned English), and returned to the New World. Not so fast! One of the ships in the flotilla that returned the group hung back as the others departed; its captain kidnapped Squanto and others, and sold them into slavery. Things didn't look so good for him.

But wait ... Dominican friars "just happened" to purchase Squanto. They shared the Gospel with him and ultimately made it possible for him to get back to England and secure passage home. He "just happened" to arrive home in time to meet the Pilgrims—a mere six months before they arrived—and just in time to miss the plague.

It’s true that Squanto saved the day for the Pilgrims. He taught them how to fish, farm, hunt and much more. The Pilgrims held the First Thanksgiving in October 1621, and popcorn was a big hit with them. God used Squanto to teach the Pilgrims how to survive. They enjoyed a bountiful harvest.

The story’s not over, though. The next month, a second shipload of settlers arrived. Now, the bountiful harvest suddenly was not enough to last the winter. They went to half rations; at one point they were down to a daily ration of five kernels of corn. A ship did “just happen” to show up so they could trade pelts for trinkets, which they used to trade with the Indians for food.

The Pilgrims survived another year. In the fall of 1623, they enjoyed another bountiful harvest, which many credit to a wise change in public policy. They went from land held in common to private ownership. Productivity soared with this change.

They also had to deal with a drought. The Pilgrims declared days of prayer and fasting—and the rains “just happened” to begin shortly thereafter. The gentle and long-lasting rains had a marked effect upon the Indians who told of how their rain dances for their gods often yielded violent storms that frequently harmed the crops. God's working in this instance deeply moved them.

The second Thanksgiving took place that fall of 1623, combined with a wedding celebration. The first course of the meal, according to tradition, was five kernels of corn.

It "just happened" that way.

Need we say it? God is sovereign. Things do not “just happen.” They happen for a purpose. For all their flaws, the Pilgrims and the Indians had seen many instances of God’s Providence caring for them, revealing Himself to them, and showing Himself mighty and full of grace. We have so much for which to be grateful. Let's not forget God’s mercy to our forefathers and hold onto the hope that we, a far more evil generation, will find mercy at His feet—for ourselves and for our country.