It seems appropriate this week that we focus our prayers as offerings of thanksgiving first to God and then for those around us. This week let’s be intentional to offer thanks for our family, friends, our home, food, etc. And to pray for those who are in need of any of those things! We’ve all been there and may we not forget…
May we reflect on His Word and promises and all He has provided and trust in Him as our provider, protector and the faithful One.
Revisionists now proclaim in our universities and schools that Thanksgiving should not be celebrated as it is a blight on American history. They claim the Pilgrims killed and oppressed the Indians. Perhaps this Thanksgiving at your table, you have some who share that view. How can you respond? Lovingly with the truth from history. Click here or download the historical fact summary here.
Here are some prayers from the past:
“O, heavenly Father: We thank thee for food and remember the hungry. We thank thee for health and remember the sick. We thank thee for friends and remember the friendless. We thank thee for freedom and remember the enslaved. May these remembrances stir us to service, that thy gifts to us may be used for others. Amen.”
Abigail van Buren, a.k.a “Dear Abby”
“Let us therefore proclaim our gratitude to Providence for manifold blessings — let us be humbly thankful for inherited ideals — and let us resolve to share those blessings and those ideals with our fellow human beings throughout the world. On that (this) day let us gather in sanctuaries dedicated to worship and in homes blessed by family affection to express our gratitude for the glorious gifts of God; and let us earnestly and humbly pray that He will continue to guide and sustain us in the great unfinished tasks of achieving peace, justice, and understanding among all men and nations and of ending misery and suffering wherever they exist.”
President John F. Kennedy
“O Gracious God, we give you thanks for your overflowing generosity to us. Thank you for the blessings of the food we eat and especially for this feast today. Thank you for our home and family and friends, especially for the presence of those gathered here. Thank you for our health, our work, and our play. Please send help to those who are hungry, alone, sick and suffering war and violence. Open our hearts to your love. We ask your blessing through Christ your son. Amen.”
We give You thanks for Your love endures forever. We offer You praise and a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform our vows to You Lord Most High. We give thanks to You Lord, for You are good, and Your steadfast love endures forever!”
We thank You for provision for You give autumn and spring rains in season, and bless and assure us of the regular weeks of harvest. For the earth has yielded its produce; God, our God, You have blessed us.
We thank You that in all things we have more than enough. For You are able to make all grace overflow to us, so that in all things, at all times, having all that we need, we will overflow in every good work.
For righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your Throne. Lovingkingness and truth are before You. And how blessed are all who know the joyful sound and walk in the light of Your countenance. In Your name we rejoice all the day and by Your righteouness we are exalted. For You are the glory of our strength and by Your favor our strength increases.
And so this day we choose to give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us. We keep our eyes looking straight ahead; fixing our gaze directly before us. We give careful thought to the path of our feet so we will be steadfast in all our ways. Help us, Lord not turn to the right or the left; but keep our foot from evil. So that our light will shine before men that they will see our good works and give You glory.
I Chron 16:34, Ps 50:14, Ps 107:1, 2 Cor 9:8, Ps 67:6 Ps 89:14-17, 1 Thes 5:18, Prov 4:25-27, Matt 5:16