On this cloud-shrouded, Thanksgiving morning,
I pause in the candlelight to thank and praise You, O Lord–
for family and friends, food and clothing,
a cozy home and delightful blessings
we never even thought to ask for.
These are benevolences we see, touch, and hear.
One blessing we never thought to ask for: a trip to Israel in 1994, travel and lodging expenses paid for.
But I also want to thank you for those gifts
that only the senses of the heart can perceive—
blessings that include your eternal faithfulness,
as expansive and enduring as the skies,
and your loving devotion, as measureless as
the far reaches of the cosmos.
I thank you for your alert attentiveness,
keeping watch over me as I come and go,
for your abundant goodness which you store up
for those who fear you and take refuge in you,
for your wisdom that knows what to accomplish and when,
what to give and what to withhold.
I thank you for your compassionate mercy
that offers a fresh start each day,
your transforming grace that takes the sand of troubles
and creates pearls of lustrous steadfastness and stability.
I praise you for your strength that “turns my mush into might.”
When I’m weary in spirit, you prop me up and propel me forward.
I thank you for your Word that instructs in the ways of abundant living,
guiding me along the right path as I internalize your truths.
I thank you for its encouragement when my spirit falters,
providing hope through the promises that cannot fail
and in the knowledge of who you are, our holy and perfect Father.
Your Word is “an anchor of truth in a sea of lies.”
“Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to you O God, for ever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 7:12)!
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Now it’s your turn! What would you add to this gratitude list that specifically celebrates God? Add your praise in the comment section below!
Scriptures and other sources:
- Verse 2: Psalm 36:5; 108:4
- Verse 3: Psalm 121:8 NLT; 31:19; Proverbs 2:6
- Verse 4: Lamentations 3:22-23; Romans 5:3-5; Anita Donihue, When I’m in His Presence, 52; Isaiah 40:29-31
- Verse 5: Psalm 119:93, 105, 92; Numbers 23:19; Psalm 145; 119:160, https://www.reviveourhearts.com/blog/20-benefits-of-being-in-gods-word-according-to-psa/
Image credits: http://www.publicdomainpictures.net (Sheila Brown); http://www.commonswikipedia.org (Edmund Nigel Gail); http://www.canva.com; http://www.dailyverses.net (2); commonswikipedia.org (Marcus Bengtsson).
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From the Inside Out 