She is a mom, wife, and passionate believer that Jesus changes everything.
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A Thanksgiving Prayer
Every year as Americans we gather around the Thanksgiving table with our loved ones, the family and friends who have become like relatives to us, to celebrate a day of gratitude. We eat a bountiful meal, have a Thanksgiving prayer, and enjoy fellowship with our loved ones.
It’s a special day in our culture. A day so many look forward to. Thanksgiving holds treasured memories and a special place in so many hearts because it is what family is all about, gathering together and loving each other in an intentional way.
With homemade food and lots of conversation and laughter, our houses feel full and we feel as though we are children again, reliving some of our favorite memories from childhood.
And wasn’t it something special, those holiday days when we were kids? Either going to relative’s houses or having your home filled with people sharing a meal together.
My mom always made things so special when I was a kid for Thanksgiving. We had a really rough childhood, but it was my mother’s aim in life to make things special. It’s one of the greatest gifts she gave me, as it too has become part of my DNA to making things special.
Another thing my mom always did was brought Jesus into the middle of everything we did, something else I picked up from her. And of course, our Thanksgiving prayer was always situated around being thankful to God.
With any holiday, religious or not, Christ is always present, for He is with all believers at all time because we are bearers of the Holy Spirit. Even though Thanksgiving is not a holiday on the traditional Church calendar observed worldwide, we only truly understand gratitude through God.
God has given us so much and often times it easier to focus on the hardships of life instead of all the positive, all the things that have gone well.
It’s not only the positive we should be thankful for, but we should also be thankful for the negative too, for it is through hardships we are refined (James 1:2-5). And boy, do I understand this as someone who has faced a lifetime of suffering.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, not only because I was born on that day, but because it’s a day of feeling full. Full of love, full of life, full of laughter, full of conversation, full of contentment, full of gratitude, and of course full on great Thanksgiving day food!
It’s a day we should live out every single day because a life of gratitude literally changes our lives.
When we take a stance of being thankful, we experience peace and joy more abundantly. Thanksgiving has a lot to teach us, doesn’t He?
I hope your Thanksgiving is a joyous and love-filled day. I wish upon you laughter and good conversation. Most importantly, I hope that it’s a day where you feel God’s presence with you and your family.
Happy Thanksgiving, may it be rich in blessings.
Below you will find a Thanksgiving prayer I wrote for your day. I also have a downloadable and pin for whatever format best suits you.
A Thanksgiving Prayer
We gather around this table with thankful hearts. Lord, so much has been given to us. It’s on days like these we stop and reflect on the abundance of your love in our lives. While there has been no doubt hard days this past year, You have still been good to us.
Help us to always remember that Your love and goodness surround us, and for that, we are very thankful. Help us to live Thanksgiving every day in our hearts, thoughts, and actions because gratitude is a recipe for a healthy, joyous life.
It’s easy to focus on the negative, Lord, but I ask, on behalf of everyone around this table today, that we all dip more into a life of gratitude and shy away from a life of discontentment and want.
Lord, I ask for a special blessing on everyone here today and I ask that Your love, power, and presence is felt profoundly in their lives. You are the source of our strength and without you, God, we truly have nothing.
So thank you Lord for this past year.
Thank you for the laughter, thank you for the trials, thank you for the excitement, thank you for the tears, thank you for the achievements, thank you for new relationships, thank you for restored relationships, thank you for family and thank you for friends.
Thank you for hope, thank you for love, thank you for peace, thank you for joy, thank you for faithfulness, thank you for stability, thank you for kindness, thank you for You and the mighty work You have done in our lives all made possible from the miraculous life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! May this be a day the Lord has made. Amen.
Thanksgiving Prayer Printable
We have created an 8×11 printable for you to use as your thanksgiving prayer for free! It’s our way of celebrating Thanksgiving, we hope this helps to enhance your holiday!
Click here to download the printable Thanksgiving Prayer
Looking for more Thanksgiving resources?
Looking a way to get your guests to share what they are thankful for without feeling threatened? You want to check out this free resource: Thanksgiving Dinner Activity.
What to make your Thanksgiving more about Jesus and less about stress, you need to check out this article with free worksheets: How To Make Your Thanksgiving More Christ-Centered.
