COME YE THANKFUL

I will praise thee, O Lord, with my
whole heart, I will shew forth all
thy marvellous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in thee.
I will sing praise to thy name,
O thou most High.
Psalm 9:1,2

It was two days before Thanksgiving. I was in the fifth grade at the time and remember a holiday was far from my mind. My dad was in the hospital at the time, and hadn't been able to work for awhile. Food-wise, it had been “slim pickins.” We didn't talk to anyone about it and just lived day to day. It hadn't always been that way, but was that year. Looking toward Thanksgiving in a couple of days, there wouldn't be the usual meal, but we were grateful for Thanksgiving whatever we had.

About 9:30, those two nights prior to THE big day, there was a rustling on our front porch. Mother went to the door and found no one there. However, there on our porch were two good sized boxes that were full of food. The items weren't just for Thanksgiving dinner, but a lot of extras in the way of staples to get us through for awhile.

We sat down to Thanksgiving that year with such a new look at the holiday. Being only in the fifth grade, we had colored all the pictures of turkeys and pilgrims. I had accepted Christ as my Savior early in November so for the first time, I began to realize what being thankful to the Lord and to others really meant.

We all have our Thanksgiving stories...some are highlights and others not the best. Through the years, we all have experienced both. For we who are children of God, He is the main thread that winds around Thanksgiving Day and other days. Despite circumstances, He is our constant and our presence everyday We may not eat turkey and dressing every day, but each day we live and breathe should be times of thanksgiving for we are a blessed people.

As the verses above suggest, David teaches us down through the years what we can do to be grateful and thankful people, lessons that should be a part of us to matter the special days.

David used “I will” four times in those brief verses. This indicates we must determine to be people of praise. What does thanksgiving look like to David?

*praise in singing
*praise with our whole hearts
*praise that is obvious
*praise with gladness and rejoicing

Our Heavenly Father is more than deserving of our praise and thanks despite any circumstances we are facing. He is our presence, provider and true love.

Thank You Father for all You are in our lives every day of every year. Thank You for Jesus and for Your Holy Spirit guidance. Your love is all-consuming, the root of all goodness toward us. We love You this and every day. In Jesus' name...Amen