“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” (Psalm 9:1 English Standard Version)
First, let me wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and express my hope that today will be a time where you realize how blessed you are and let me add that I hope you express your gratitude to the Lord for all He has done for you since the last Thanksgiving Day. He’s done a lot hasn’t He? He’s been good to you, hasn’t He? He has kept you and supplied your needs, hasn’t He? It only makes sense to thank Him today really, really thank Him openly! And your open thankfulness will be contagious. It can be like passing one of the delicious serving dishes on your table to the next person, and the next. Pass some of the thankfulness, please!
Typically, on this day, before you start carving your perfectly roasted turkey or slicing that ham that you diligently prepared and basted and decorated with your special toppings; before you start passing around the candied sweet potatoes, the green bean casserole, the cranberry sauce extraordinaire, those soft dinner rolls that melt in your mouth, and all the other dishes, those in your house, either family members and/or invited and uninvited guests, typically or ritually, you take a moment for prayer. The main theme of the prayer is thanksgiving; thanking the Lord, not just for the food, but for filling your days with goodness, grace, and mercy and for all that He has so graciously done for you.
Sometime one person is asked to pray and the words that come out of that persons mouth are the same words that were expressed last year. And on top of that, others who are holding hands and closing their eyes, they start to peek a little bit and squeeze whoever’s hands they are holding as a signal that the prayer needs to be shortened. That’s the usual ritual, or you may do something similar at your place. Other times, each individual prays, and the further away you are from the person who starts the prayer, you stand thinking, “What can I say different! They have said it all!” That’s the ritual!
Well, today, get rid of the ritual and be real! You express what you are really thankful! You pray revealing what the Lord has done for you as a testimony to the reality of serving a God who watches over you! Get real! You may shock someone when you thank God for the specific things He has done for you that evokes your expression of thankfulness, but that’s okay! Yes, keep in mind the “time parameters,” but please take the time to get rid of the ritual and be real! Again, God’s been to good for us not to do so! He’s been so merciful for us not to do so! He’s been our guide and our provider, our strength and our comforter! Thank Him! Be real! Enjoy your day! Be blessed!
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1 NLT)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King