A Heart of Thanksgiving

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts" (Psalm 105:1-2 NIV).

Blessed be His Holy Name! Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

The turkey is ready to go in the oven and soon the whole house will be filled with the fragrance of holiday food. As I sit here in a quiet house, anticipating the joy that is ahead, my heart is overflowing with thanksgiving for a year of blessings. We made a lot of changes this year and God has been with us through them all. A year ago I couldn't have anticipated all that has come to pass so smoothly and so wonderfully.

As the psalm says, this is a day to sing praise to God. Though I love our contemporary services at church, it is during times like these that I especially miss the old hymns I learned as a child. The words of those traditional hymns still ring true to us today, though they are a century or more old.

"We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing; He chastens and hastens His will to make known; the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing, Sing praises to His name: He forgets not His own."

"Come, ye thankful people, come, Raise the song of harvest-home: All is safely gathered in, Ere the winter storms begin; God, our Maker, doth provide For our wants to be supplied: Come to God's own temple, come, Raise the song of harvest-home."

"We plow the fields, and scatter The good seed on the land, But it is fed and watered By God's almighty hand; He sends the snow in winter, The warmth to swell the grain, The breezes and the sunshine, And soft refreshing rain. All good gifts around us Are sent from heaven above; Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord For all His love. Amen."

"When upon life's billows you are tempest-tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Cout your many blessings--name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. Count your blessings--name them one by one; Count your blessings-see what God has done; Count your blessings--name them one by one; Count your many blessings--see what God has done."

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen."

May your hearts and mouths sing of the blessings in your life today. God bless you all.