Thanksgiving Thoughts

by Nellie Plitt

November is upon us again. (Funny thing—it always comes this time of year!) When November does come around, we always think immediately of Thanksgiving—turkey, Pilgrims, food, feasting. But, is that all there is to it?

What about being thankful? Why do we thank? For what do we thank? How do we thank? When do we thank?

Why? Our God has given us so much and done so much for us. Shouldn’t we be just as generous in our thankfulness? God does not demand us to thank Him, but He, I am sure, is pleased when we do so. After all, we thank our friends and neighbors when they give us something or do us a favor. God’s gifts to us far outweigh what our friends and neighbors can possibly give us or do for us.

There are many Bible verses telling that we should thank God and for what we should thank Him. “Give thanks to the Lord. His love endures forever” (1 Chronicles16:8). “Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory.” “Thanks be to God, who always leads us.” “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gifts.”

How? We can give thanks to God by thanking our fellow people for things they have done. We thank God by spending time studying the Word. In this way we learn more about God, His gifts, His kingdom, His love. We thank God by attending Church and Bible Classes. We thank God in our hymns and prayers. We also thank God by giving unto others, thereby giving to God.

When? Colossians 3:15 tells us to “…always be thankful.” There is no limit to the times for thankfulness. We are told to pray without ceasing. We can pray to God and thank Him for everything we had, have, or ever will have. We can pray and thank God when we are alone or with others.

What form should we use? No one has ever catalogued the number of ways to thank God. There is no “official” format. Whatever we want to say, whatever we want to include, in whatever order—it is all acceptable to God.

The gift of song is another of the gifts we receive from God. Singing is a great way to thank God. Someone once said that he who sings, prays twice. When singing, a person uses both body and mind. Did you realize that our Lutheran Service Book has only four hymns observing or celebrating harvest and thanksgiving? Surely, there must be more hymns than that for thanking God for all He has done. After more careful scrutiny, I find that thankful hymns are actually scattered all through the hymnal. LSB #394, “Songs of Thankfulness and Praise,” is in the Epiphany section; but then why not? It is in Epiphany that we celebrate God’s revealing the newborn Christ Child to all people. “Thanks to Thee, O Christ, Victorious” is #548 in the Redeemer section and thanks God for sending His Son to save us.

The Book of Psalms is a great place to find verses we can use to thank God. Psalm 7:17 — “I will give thanks to the Lord because of His righteousness and sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” Psalm 30:12 — “O Lord my God, I will give You thanks forever.” Of course there are many more examples than just in Psalms. One of the best known is Psalm 100 and I think sums it all up.

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He Who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.”