Lindsay: I love Thanksgiving because it’s a day to be with friends and family. And I love to cook with our family on Thanksgiving. We enjoy the turkey and dressing, the mashed potatoes and gravy and all the trimmings!
But Thanksgiving is much more than just a “turkey day.” It’s a day to reflect on God’s gifts and to respond to Him with our gratitude.
RR: Well, the whole purpose of this day is to give thanks to God…to thank Him for life…to thank Him for our families…to thank Him for what He’s given us. It’s a day to thank God for the opportunity to live in a country where we can worship Him in spirit and in truth. To me, that’s what Thanksgiving Day is all about.
LR: We should also remember to be thankful that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the Cross for us. You know, we can always find something to whine, gripe, or complain about. But I believe that in the same way, we can always find something to give thanks to God for…even in times of trouble and distress.
RR: Psalms 34:1 says, I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Lindsay, you and I have a pact that when things start to overwhelm us, we start praising God—not for the situation, but in the situation.
LR: And we know from personal experience, that’s not always easy to do. But when we focus on God and His goodness, our spirits are lifted and we see things begin to change. One of the Psalms we’ve taught our daughters from the time they were little is Psalm 103, the psalm of thanksgiving. In this psalm, King David pours out his praise to God with every fiber of his being. In verse 1 he says:
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.
We have so many benefits as God’s children; it’s hard to remember them all! God forgives, heals, protects, satisfies, renews our youth—and crowns us with His love and mercy! How blessed we are!
RR: David knew how to worship God! As a shepherd boy, he gave thanks to God while he was on the hillsides herding his sheep.
LR: No doubt David had difficult and lonely days, with only sheep for companions. But he didn’t complain. Instead, he chose to think of the goodness of God and His benefits. Soon praise began to flow out of the abundance of his heart and he exclaimed, “I will bless the Lord!”
On Thanksgiving Day, we’ll join our hands around the table in a time of prayer, and we’ll remember God’s goodness and mercy and have thankful, grateful hearts.
But there may be someone reading this who may be in the middle of a struggle and needs a miracle. If that is you, I encourage you to stop for a moment and begin to praise God for what He has already done—and what He’s going to do
—in your life. I believe God can lift your burden as you begin to praise Him.
And if you’ve never asked Jesus to come into your life, Thanksgiving season is a wonderful time to do so. Just pray this simple prayer with me:
Father God, I give you my past, and I repent of it. Please forgive me, cleanse me, and help me become the person You created me to be. Today I take Jesus as my Lord and Savior. From this day forward I will follow You and give thanks to You for Your many blessings. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.