Give Thanks ~ God is Good to America!

Throughout our history, America has given thanks to God, who faithfully provides for our needs and protects our liberties.  On October 3, 1789, President George Washington issued a proclamation naming Thursday, November 26, 1789, as an official holiday; this was the first Thanksgiving under the new Constitution.  Seventy-four years later, on October 2, 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln enumerated God's blessings on the American people and proclaimed Thanksgiving a nationwide holiday to be commemorated on the last Thursday of November.  Every year since then, the president has addressed the nation with a reminder of the blessings the almighty hand of Providence has bestowed upon this great nation.

In his Thanksgiving proclamation, George Washington undeniably acknowledged God as the Almighty Creator of the universe.  He began, “...it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly implore his protection and favor...”  He assigned the 26^th of November, 1789, “to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be,” and implored the people to unite in “rendering unto Him [their] sincere and humble thanks for his kind care and protection of the People...” and in “most humbly offering [their] prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech[ing] Him to pardon [their] … transgressions.”

Abraham Lincoln also gave glory to God when he proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863.  He began by reminding the people where all their blessings had come from: “The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies.  To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.”  He described the goodness of God even in the midst of the Civil War, saying that peace was preserved, the laws were followed, order was maintained, and harmony prevailed everywhere except in the area of military conflict.  The resources given to the war effort hadn't put a damper on the plough, the shuttle (referring to the weaving industry), or the ship; American territory was enlarged, and the mines yielded abundantly.  Population had increased in spite of the war, and freedom had flourished.  Lincoln recognized that “no human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things.  They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.  It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people.” He proclaimed the last Thursday of November “as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwells in the Heavens.”

On Thanksgiving Day in 1901, Theodore Roosevelt marveled over the leaps and bounds America had taken from its humble beginnings. “Year by year this Nation grows in strength and worldly power. During the century and a quarter that has elapsed since our entry into the circle of independent peoples we have grown and prospered in material things to a degree never known before, and not now known in any other country. The thirteen colonies which straggled along the seacoast of the Atlantic … have been transformed into the mightiest republic which the world has ever seen. Its domains stretch across the continent from one to the other of the two greatest oceans, and it exercises dominion alike in the arctic and tropic realms. The growth in wealth and population has surpassed even the growth in territory. Nowhere else in the world is the average of individual comfort and material well-being as high as in our fortunate land.”  It is truly amazing to consider how far we have come and how blessed we are as a nation!  Let us give thanks, for how could our nation have succeeded and prospered without Almighty intervention?

In John F. Kennedy’s 1963 Thanksgiving address, he echoed Roosevelt’s amazement at the extent of American power, the growth of American population, the expanse of American industry, and the luscious standards of American living, giving thanks to God for all of it.  More significantly, Kennedy declared, “Today we give our thanks, most of all, for the ideals of honor and faith we inherit from our forefathers—for the decency of purpose, steadfastness of resolve and strength of will, for the courage and the humility, which they possessed and which we must seek every day to emulate. As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.”  We are a nation that has been blessed in unbelievable ways—we have a strong faith heritage like no other—we must never forsake that heritage, but instead must give thanks for it that it may shine on another year!

Ronald Reagan brought a reminder we all should heed.  “As we celebrate Thanksgiving in 1981, we should reflect on the full meaning of this day … Searching our hearts, we should ask what we can do as individuals to demonstrate our gratitude to God for all He has done. … Let us recommit ourselves to that devotion to God and family that has played such an important role in making this a great Nation, and which will be needed as a source of strength if we are to remain a great people.”  As we celebrate Thanksgiving in 2013, let us not take for granted those who are closest to us—the dear friends and family that God has placed in our lives.  Let us take notice of the small, everyday delights which are so bountifully bestowed upon us; let us commit to building relationships that will bring glory to God for years to come; and let us turn our faces to God, who brings all things together for good for those who love him.

Our greatest American Presidents saw the significance of God's blessing on the American people, both individually and as a whole, and the importance of our acknowledging His providence.  Let us give wholehearted thanks to our God this Thanksgiving, for all of our blessings—great and small.  He has never failed to provide for those who trust him day by day, and who take hold of His gentle, mighty, loving, provident hand.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever.” ~ Psalm 136:1

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends! Remember what the Lord has done for you!