Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever.

—1 Chronicles 16:34

Every year, my pastor-husband officiates a Thanksgiving Eve service. It’s one of my favorites. The quiet steadiness of evening worship always puts me in a calm, contemplative mood. And I find that this service is the perfect way to hit pause on the otherwise chaotic preparations for the holiday celebration.

Although every part of the service is lovely in its own way, my favorite moment it when my husband reads the prayers of thanksgiving offered by the congregants. As settle into our pews, we all have an opportunity to fill out a piece of paper, listing things we’re thankful for. These are then placed in the offering plate and laid on the altar. During the “prayers of the church,” my husband reads each of the papers aloud, and it fills my heart with joy and gratitude to hear the various and abundant ways the Lord has blessed my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Truthfully, we could sit there all night giving thanks and praise to God for His many blessings.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, Paul writes, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Notice that the apostle doesn’t put a hedge around thanksgiving. He says to give thanks in everything. This from a man who was beaten, nearly stoned, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and endured numerous other hardships as he spread the Gospel. If he, in spite of all this, could always rejoice, pray without ceasing, and give thank in everything, how much more so should we be able to do this?

May the God of all mercy, through the work of His Spirit within us, enable to us to follow His servant Paul’s example, for “this is the will of God in Christ Jesus” for us. Amen.

With love in Christ,

Amanda

xoxo

Scripture taken from the New King James Version^®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.