On Giving Thanks

There is so much to be thankful for....but how many of us wait until Thanksgiving Day to give thanks?  We can read many chapters in Psalms and understand that giving praise and thanks needs to be a continual thing in our lives.  I love Psalm 118:1, "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever."  I am learning that even in hard times, I need to give thanks.  With my physical condition, I can be thankful that it isn't more serious.  I think the hardest time to give thanks is when we're going through hard times.  But--we can know that God works all for our good.  Everything He does in our lives is part of His perfect plan.  We can rest in that promise.

This last Sunday in our bulletin, my pastor shared with us the first Thanksgiving Day proclamation for December 18, 1777.  This is what it says:

That at one Time and with one Voice, the good People may express the grateful Feelings of their Hearts, and consecrate themselves to the Service of their Divine Benefactor;  and that, together with their sincere Acknowledgments and Offerings, they may join the penitent Confession of their manifold Sins, whereby they had forfeited every Favor;  and their humble and earnest Supplication that it may please GOD through the Merits of JESUS CHRIST, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of Remembrance;  That it may please him graciously to afford his Blessing on the Governments of these States respectively, and prosper the public Council of the whole.

Isn't that awesome?  The praise is to our God, not on the material blessings of God.  It is a great perspective to have when giving thanks.

This morning, my husband and I are finishing the last few things before heading out to be with friends today.  We are really excited to have this day to reflect on the goodness of God and be with fellow believers.  For Thanksgiving, I like to read a unique story that talks about the goodness of God and providence of God.  When I taught Kindergarten, I read the book, Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving by Eric Metaxas.  His life is very similar to that of Joseph in the Bible, and it's neat to see how God took him through some hard things but at the end it was all for good.  If you can't find it at your local library, look at cbd.com to purchase it.  Your family will really enjoy this wonderful story.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!