Thanksgiving Preparation

Sing a new song to the Lord!
Everyone on this earth, sing praises to the Lord,
2 sing and praise his name.

Day after day announce, “The Lord has saved us!”
3 Tell every nation on earth,
“The Lord is wonderful and does marvelous things!
4 The Lord is great and deserves our greatest praise!
He is the only God worthy of our worship.
5 Other nations worship idols, but the Lord created the heavens.
6 Give honor and praise to the Lord,
whose power and beauty fill his holy temple.”

7 Tell everyone of every nation,
“Praise the glorious power of the Lord.
8 He is wonderful! Praise him and bring an offering into his temple.
9 Everyone on earth, now tremble and worship the Lord, majestic and holy.”

10 Announce to the nations,“The Lord is King!
The world stands firm, never to be shaken,
and he will judge its people with fairness.”

11 Tell the heavens and the earth to be glad and celebrate!
Command the ocean to roar with all of its creatures
12 and the fields to rejoice with all of their crops.
Then every tree in the forest will sing joyful songs 13 to the Lord.
He is coming to judge all people on earth with fairness and truth.       Psalm 96 (CEV)

Next week we here in the United States will celebrate Thanksgiving. The November tradition dates back to 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln declared a day for “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” Did you know that? I didn’t. I only remember being told about the 1621 picnic with the Pilgrims and North American Indians. It must not have been easy to call a nation of people together who were involved in an internal, Civil War to prayer; prayers of thanksgiving and praise.

Let’s spend this time preparing for Thanksgiving. Let’s do more than pull out recipes and break the budget on pounds of food we don’t really need. Let’s consider the large and small things for which we are thankful. Let us consider how God blesses us personally, as a family, as a group of Disciples, and as a nation. And let us keep our eyes and ears open for opportunities to speak of our thankfulness.

Greetings. Maybe I will run into a friend or cousin at the grocery store. As I give them a quick hug in greeting, I could quietly say, “I thank God for having you in my life.”

Table blessings. This may not be the time to list so many items of thankfulness that the food begins to grow cold but I could give an addition to the usual prayer spoken before the meal of how thankful I am to have good friends or family to join me at this table. It has been a tremendous blessing to break bread with the many and varied people who have joined us on Thursday nights at our Share-A-Supper.

Night prayers. It is at night that I have had my heart just overflow with thanks and praise for the many, many, many ways God has blessed me. Turning to my husband who is sleeping next to me, I thank my LORD for bringing him into my life when I was not looking nor asking for such a covenant partner. God is so extravagant with His gifts! To drift to sleep with words of thanks on my lips has been the entrance into a restful sleep and beautiful dreams with God.

Thanksgiving is not just about one day but it is about a mindset that can bring me through days when my steps are painful and a struggle. With thanks flowing from my heart and coming across my lips, I can walk with renewed strength because of Jesus who is strong when I am so very weak.

Love You So Much written by Rusell Fragar and sung by Hillsong Worship Team