Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, And gathered out of the lands,From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south. Psalm 107: 1-3
Our Father is heaven we give You thanks for the blessings of the year, for the sunshine and the rain, the air we breath, the fact that we can recognize our loved ones which is a sign that our brains are still functioning, for the gift of free will that helps us to grow every time we make the right choices; for freedom of religion, for the blessed hope, for family and friends, but above all, for Jesus Christ, Your Son and the Savior of the world. For these blessings and so much more, we thank You dear God. Amen.
Thanksgiving, one of the most wonderful celebrations of the year. A moment in time when we can pause and decide, instead of complaining I am going to give thanks. I am going to sit down and count my blessings. I am going to call to remembrance all the times Jesus brought me out of situations from which I could never have come out on my own. I will thank Him for the many battles that He fought and won for me. I am going to spend this day testifying of God’s goodness in my life.
Today, as we feast upon the delicious foods, some that are reserved only for this special day, let us also dedicate some time to feast on the wonderful promises that are to be found in the Word of God!
Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. . . ” He is sufficient for my every need and even my wants. “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” Because I am His, He will walk with me and take me to those places where my soul can find true rest amidst the stresses of life! “He restores my soul.” He not only feeds me and leads me and protects me; He restores my soul. He is my personal Psychiatrist who mends the broken places in my life, by healing my psyche. As my Shepherd He does all this and much more!
Psalm 27: In a world enshrouded in darkness God becomes my light, “the light that lights everyone who comes into the world” (John 1:9). He is also my salvation, for no one can come to the Father but by Him (John 14: 6). He keeps hope burning in my soul. If it was not for the fact that I know His goodness will triumph upon this earth, I would a long time ago have lost heart.
Psalm 46: In times of trouble I can go to my refuge and hide until the danger is past. He is an ever present help. Unlike other legal representatives, our God is always there. I do not have to wait two weeks to six months to sit with Him and talk over my case He invites me to come and reason with Him, and talks to me not only of the problem. but how He plans to solve it as well (Isaiah 1: 18). I can hold my peace, and let Him be God.
Psalm 103: He is a God who forgives and forgets! He is our Healer, our Provider, He is righteous and just. We do not receive what we deserve, because He is always conscious of the fact that we are but dust. He crowns our lives with His amazing loving-kindness. His mercy never ends, and He keeps His covenant from generation to generation.
There is so much more that can be said about our Great God and the reasons we have to be thankful. But suffice me to borrow the words of the psalmist and end on this note:
“Bless the Lord, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure. Bless the Lord, all His works, In all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul” (Psalm 103:20-22)!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!