Thanksgiving Day - An Act of Grace
Thursday’s Verse:
From Psalm 136:1 ESV
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His mercy endures forever.”
Thanksgiving Day is not the day we stuff our faces with turkey and gravy. Thanksgiving Day is a day made by grace. Scripture never says to “fake it until you make it.” It says, “do this in remembrance that He is God.” His goodness is constant. His mercies do not fail. His promises do not change with the turning of the leaves.
We give thanks because He has already given. He gives us life. He gives us our daily bread. He gives us, in Christ, every spiritual blessing. At the cross, Jesus took what was broken and called it His own. In Him, we receive forgiveness, peace, and a future that no circumstance can take from us.
Thanksgiving, then, is not an obligation. It is a response. A whispered “thank You, Lord” said in the midst of real life. A pause to notice the gifts we too often overlook. A moment to rest in the truth that we are held by a faithful God.
As you gather around tables, and even if this year feels sparse and lonely, you are not alone. The Lord who gives is the Lord who remains. And He delights to hear your thanks, even when it seems small.
A Prayer for Today:
Gracious Father, thank You for every good gift You lay in our path. Keep our hearts rooted in Christ, who gives us more than we deserve or can imagine. Help us to trust in You, to praise You, and to live with grateful hearts. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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