2 Thanksgiving Prayers

Here are 2 Thanksgiving prayers that would make a wonderful grace for your Thanksgiving dinner. Have a blessed holiday!

Thanksgiving

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

We Give Thanks

Our Father in Heaven,
We give thanks for the pleasure
Of gathering together for this occasion.
We give thanks for this food
Prepared by loving hands.
We give thanks for life,
The freedom to enjoy it all
And all other blessings.
As we partake of this food,
We pray for health and strength
To carry on and try to live as You would have us.
This we ask in the name of Christ,
Our Heavenly Father.

- Harry Jewell

What If?

A friend emailed this to me and it reminded me of a devotion I did for Sunday School several years ago. It was for Thanksgiving weekend and about what if God took away all the things we didn’t thank Him for.

I was reading my devotion to my husband and daughter at dinner while the oven was on self-clean after cooking the turkey. I told them how the devotion had caused me to think about all the things in our house that I was thankful for and how I had gone around the house thanking God for: showers, food in the fridge, the heat, our bed, etc. etc.

Suddenly my daughter said, “Did you thank Him for the oven?” I said, “No, I didn’t, why?” and she replied, “Because it’s on fire!”

What If?

What if, GOD decided to stop leading us tomorrow because we didn't follow Him today?

What if, we never saw another flower bloom because we grumbled when GOD sent the rain.

What if, GOD didn't walk with us today because we failed to recognize it as His day?

What if, GOD took away the Bible tomorrow because we would not read it today?

What if, GOD took away His message because we failed to listen to the messenger?

What if, GOD didn't send His only begotten Son because He wanted us to be prepared to pay the price for sin.

What if, the door of the church was closed because we did not open the door of our heart?

What if, GOD stopped loving and caring for us because we failed to love and care for others?

What if, GOD would not hear us today because we would not listen to Him yesterday?

What if, GOD answered our prayers the way we answer His call to service?

What if, GOD met our needs the way we give Him our lives???
--- Author Unknown ---

Colossians 3:14-17

Colossians 3:14-17 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

What a beautiful prayer! And it sounds like the words in the song “Love will keep us together.” That’s what Paul is talking about – love is the bond that makes it all work.

Where he says, “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts” (some versions say “Let the peace of God be the decider within your heart.”) Anytime you are pulled in 2 different directions at the same time, when Christian charity is at war with unchristian irritation and annoyance, go with what Christ would want. If you accept His decisions, you can’t go wrong.

Notice the reference to singing. The Jews would often spend whole nights in hymns and songs and the early Christian church inherited this.

Paul ends this section by saying everything we do or say should be done in the name of Jesus. One of the best tests of any word is, “Can I speak it and the name of Jesus in the same breath?” “Can I speak it, knowing He will hear it?”