A Song for Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving! Although we have ample reason to thank God every day of the year, today is a time to focus on God’s many blessings to us His people. In honor of our God who is worthy of our overflowing gratitude, I offer this “Psalm of Thanksgiving.”
1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.Psalm 100
This Psalm is a clarion call to thanksgiving. Read it as a prayer today. Share it with your family around the table. Offer it to God as a sacrifice of praise. Use it as a catalyst for a day of thanksgiving!
What reasons do you see in the psalm that God deserves our thanksgiving?Or continue this song of gratitude and add your own reasons in the comments below!
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THANKSGIVING GREETINGS FROM THE TEAM…
The fireplace is glowing. The turkey is roasting. The pies are cooling. And the guests will soon be arriving.
This sets the scene for so many of us today, as we gather with our loved ones around a table of plenty and offer up our thanks for the blessings that we have all received. It is a wonderful day to celebrate the goodness of our Father and share in love and memories with our loved ones. It is a day to rejoice. To celebrate. And to remember.
The writing team here at LACED WITH GRACE will be sitting down to our own feast sometime today. Each of us live in a different town, even different states, but we all share a kindred spirit with one another and a special appreciation for each of you, our readers! We would like to take this time to just say THANK YOU to all of you who so faithfully tune in Monday thru Friday to share with us as we write from our hearts. We also give honor and praise to the One Who inspires us and spurs us on…Jesus Christ, Who is the reason we are able to give thanks.
So from our Thanksgiving table to yours, all of us here at LWG wish you and yours a very blessed THANKSGIVING!
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FROM NORTH CAROLINA… “This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for becoming keenly aware of God’s presence by searching for God in the moment. Sometimes the moments have full of joy. Sometimes the moments have difficult to accept. They’ve both come from His hand so I can experience the truth that He is enough.” -MARSHA
FROM SOUTH CAROLINA…‘This Thanksgiving,I am savoring the fact that my children are still all under one roof (only one more year probably). I’m thankful for that roof, the family God has made us, and that cooking and eating together carves an all-five-senses memory deep into our lives. Happy Thanksgiving, all.” - DAWN
FROM FLORIDA… “What a tremendous joy it is to be living in a day with such awesome opportunities to share the love of Jesus Christ with the world! I used to have a Mary Englebreit t-shirt that read: ‘Life is just so daily’. I thought it was cute-but as I reflect on those words in a spiritual context, I change it up: ‘His benefits and blessings are SO daily!’ (Psalms 68:19) Thank you faithful readers for joining us on this journey of daily benefits and discovery of the truths that God would have us know!” - ANGIE
“This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for the sweet times God has graciously given my family and I to spend together on camping adventures. With the unexpected death of my mother in law earlier this year, we have learned to savor and cherish these moments away were we can simply relax, connect and have lots of fun.” - DANA
FROM IOWA… “I am thankful for a wonderful husband and 5 beautiful children. I am most thankful for a God who loves me, forgives me, encourages me, and challenges me to be more like Him everyday. I am thankful for a network of beautiful women on the internet who so honestly share their hearts and experiences all for the glory of God. Have a blessed and joyous thanksgiving.” Much love - TRACY
FROM ARIZONA… “Happy Thanksgiving to all! I am so thankful for God’s faithfulness. He has provided me with what I needed through a very challenging season in my life. I have a wonderful family, many blogging friends, a job that involves children, an opportunity to write and share Christ and His peace. He is sufficient for all my needs!” -DEBBIE
“I am thankful for many things in my life; a roof over my head, a paying job, a good marriage, friends and family. However there is an item on the top of my list I am thankful for: God’s Word. Without the encouragement I find in His Word, I would be utterly lost. My favorite passage for this year comes from Philippians 4:7: “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Have a blessed Thanksgiving.” -IRIS
FROM TEXAS… “This Thanksgiving I am especially thankful that our Father hears and answers prayer. He bends down to listen, and He hears our cries for help.” -LINDA
“This year I am thankful to be able to look back and see how God has worked things out in His time for our family as well as the lessons along the way in trust and patience while waiting.” -BETHANY
“Since today is my 50th Thanksgiving, I’m old enough to look back over my life and see how faithfully God has worked in every area. Today I am thankful for His constant presence and His persistent wooing of my fickle heart!” -KATHY
FROM ARKANSAS… “I’m so thankful for my husband Jordan. We got married this year on January 8th and I’m so thankful that God has blessed me with such a wonderful, kind, loving husband and we are excited about our new life together.” -KRISTA
“I am so thankful for everything that God has brought my way this past year. The good, the bad, the ups, the downs, the joy, the sorrow…ALL of it because it has taught me to love, trust and pray in a whole new way. I cannot give God enough praise and honor for the work that He has done, and is doing, and will continue to do in my life. What a privilege it is to share my adventures of love and life with you! I pray God blesses your life with goodness and mercy. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!” -LAURIE
FROM PENNSYLVANIA… “I am thankful for both the trials and blessings in my life, for they only make me stronger and closer to my Lord and Savior. I am so thankful that God has given me such a precious family and I cherished each moment I spend with them - especially my 88 year old mother who is totally amazing.” -MICHELE
FROM COLORADO…“I am thankful for my husband and children, my health, the love of my savior, Jesus, and the redemptive work God is doing in my extended family.” -TIFFANY
FROM THE BAHAMAS… “Happy Thanksgiving to all from Freeport, Bahamas. I pray that your Thanksgiving is filled with family, laughter and love. I’m thankful this season that I serve a God who is always there when I need him and for family who go above and beyond the call of duty when I’m in need.” -BERNADINE
FROM CALIFORNIA… “I am thankful that despite my rebellious nature, Jesus saw fit to choose me and my family as part of His family. I am thankful for His presence in our lives even before we even believed in His love, forgiveness, and grace.” -NICCOL
“This Thanksgiving Day, I am thankful for God’s love and mercy poured out in my life this year. I will… ‘Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.’ Psalm 100:4-5″ -CHARLOTTE
“This year I am especially thankful for the blessing of my family! Even though I am now an ‘empty-nester’, God has brought us all closer together and grown even sweeter relationships this year than ever before. I am so grateful for God’s continuing grace and love!” -JOAN
FROM GEORGIA… “I am most thankful this year for new friendships. I never realized how fuller they make life until this year.” -JENNY
FROM NEW JERSEY… “I’m thankful to God who brought me from darkness into His marvelous light. I’m grateful for the life that He’s blessed me with, for my wonderful husband and children who love the Lord and want to serve Him, and for the new path He’s given me in the writing arena.” -SUSAN
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1 THESSALONIANS 5:18 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” KJV
The Wise Remember
How much time do you spend reflecting on your past so you can remember and thank God for how He has worked on your behalf? Lately, God has repeatedly shown me the need to do this very thing.
It happened just this morning during my daily time with God as I read Psalm 107. If you have time, read this Psalm now. This particular Psalm celebrates the Jews’ return from exile in Babylon, recounts what God did for them, and praises Him for His works. Here are some of the ways God worked:
- God provided, satisfied, and filled those with physical needs like shelter, food, and water.
- God snapped the chains and cut the bars for those in prison.
- God eased the distress of those suffering the consequences of their sin.
- God protected those in danger. He calmed the storms and saved them.
When God’s people recounted His deeds, they responded with:
- Thanksgiving (vs 1)
- Told others what God had done (vs 2)
- Praised God (vs eight)
- Exalted God publicly (vs 32)
The psalmist ends his song by passing along some advice:
Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord. Psalm 107:43, NLT
Take a few moments today to review your history. How has God worked in your life to provide, protect, free, and ease? Will you praise and thank Him today?
God’s Word also encourages us to “speak out” and “tell others how He has saved you” (Psalm 107:2). Let’s do that today! Share with us now about how God has worked in your life!
Read MoreThankful for Trials?
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. — Philippians 4:6
The longer I’m on this journey with God, the more I realize how little I truly understand of his ways. But that’s okay. I’m learning to trust Him for the big picture. In fact, I’ve found a lot of relief in that, knowing it wasn’t up to me to keep the world spinning on its axis (wink).
But we do like to be in control, don’t we? And though it’s biblical to have a thankful attitude, it’s often counterintuitive to our human nature. Yet God knew how important this attitude would be not only to our spiritual health, but to our emotional and physical health as well.
One of the harder lessons we have to learn on this journey is to be thankful for our trials. The key here is understanding some important truths:
- God is good. First John 4 is all about God’s character and that He IS love. Therefore his motivations for allowing trials in our lives are good as well. He’s literally not capable of a bad motivation. That’s the one thing God simply can’t do.
- God is in control. All our trials have God’s seal of approval. That one can be hard to swallow, but understanding the first truth I pointed out helps a lot. The story of Job is a great representation of this truth. Everything has to go before God first. If He allows a trial or challenge in our life, He has a reason. And like Job, we may not understand what it’s all about. God simply asks that we trust Him and trust that He has a purpose for it all.
- God is an equipper. To look at the Bible as a whole is to see a story spanning hundreds of years with a universal message. God loves his children and does not abandon them. He doesn’t just allow a trial in our life and then leave us to fend for ourselves. God has already given us his strength through his Holy Spirit. It’s right there. We just have to make sure we’re functioning in that strength and not our own. That means we need to spend time with God in order to stay close to Him and the source of that strength.
- God is a redeemer. The amazing thing about all our trials is that God redeems everything. He doesn’t allow them in our lives without a reason. He has a purpose and a plan for each one. Sometimes the focus is on us, other times it’s to do with another person in our lives, like a spouse or a child. He uses them to refine our faith, teach us more about His character, and to bring us closer to understanding what sacrificial love is all about. He brings us closer to the image of his Son, Jesus.
So in the midst of our trials, we can be thankful for all these truths. God even calls us to combine thanksgiving with our prayers and petition. He does this for our own benefit, so that we can keep our eyes focused on him and not our situation. And to build our trust in Him.
My favorite verse is Romans 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
You may have heard it a hundred times, but this time let it soak in and really permeate your faith. God works for our good in ALL things. Not just some of them, or just the good things. He works in ALL of them. This is one of our greatest promises and something to truly be thankful for.
Praying and believing,
Dineen
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Count Your Blessings
When we think of the first Thanksgiving, we think of the early settlers, Pilgrims, and Indians sharing their feast in giving thanks to God for their harvest. In 1782 George Washington made Thanksgiving an official holiday with the Thanksgiving Proclamation.
“It being the indispensable duty of all Nations, not only to offer up their supplications to ALMIGHTY GOD, the giver of all good, for His gracious assistance in a time of distress, but also in a solemn and public manner to give Him praise for His goodness in general, and especially for great and signal interposition’s of His providence in their behalf. They do further recommend to all ranks, to testify to their gratitude to GOD for His goodness, by a cheerful obedience of His laws, and by promoting, each in His station, and by His influence, the practice of true and undefiled religion, which is the great foundation of public prosperity and national happiness.”-George Washington, 1782
Wow, wouldn’t you love to hear our President and politicians today say such magnificent worshipful proclamation today? The history of Thanksgiving goes back even further. God’s Word informs us that in the days of King David there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.
“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” Psalm 100 (KJV)
Even further back we read of thanksgiving: Leviticus 7:11-13: “These are the instructions regarding the different kinds of peace offerings that may be presented to the Lord. If you present your peace offering as an expression of thanksgiving, the usual animal sacrifice must be accompanied by various kinds of bread made without yeast—thin cakes mixed with olive oil, wafers spread with oil, and cakes made of choice flour mixed with olive oil. This peace offering of thanksgiving must also be accompanied by loaves of bread made with yeast.” (NLT)
Throughout God’s Word we find many examples and commands regarding giving thanks.
“…give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)
We are living in a day and age of turmoil, uncertainty, and trials; but even with all of life’s challenges, I believe we still have more to be thankful for than any other people on earth. No matter what the challenges that are facing us this Thanksgiving, may we take time from the hustle and bustle of cooking, entertaining, and shopping to give God thanks for all He has done for each of us and our loved ones this glorious holiday season. As we gather around the table to partake of our Thanksgiving feast, may we pause to share a blessing or two that the Lord has so graciously provided; and may we share our blessings with a grateful heart; giving thanks to the ONE who has provided our glorious feast.
http://michele-risingabove.blogspot.com
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