Thanksgiving

November 2025

Thanksgiving is more than a holiday, more than a feast, and more than a November tradition of gathering with family and friends over a great meal. It is a way of life showing our gratitude to our God who has saved us from our sins and given us all the blessings we have. Truly, we cannot thank Him enough for what He has done, is doing, and will continue to do for us in our lives.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). In the course of a given year we experience many victories, and God is the Victor of our victories. Psalm 98:1, says, “Oh, sing to the Lord, a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.”

We are certainly blessed beyond measure and way beyond what we deserve. Our God is never on a rationing program, nor does He have to carefully allocate a limited amount of resources to each of His children. Rather, He gives it all to each of us! How great is our God and worthy of praise!

It is much easier to be thankful when things are going well and times are good. It is much more challenging to thank the Lord in times of difficulty, sorrow, stress, and trouble. May the Lord help us to be thankful in all times and in all circumstances!

The first American Thanksgiving didn’t occur in 1621 when a group of pilgrims shared a feast with a group of friendly natives. The first recorded thanksgiving took place in Virginia more than eleven years earlier, and it wasn’t a feast. The winter of 1610 at Jamestown had reduced a group of four hundred and nine settlers to sixty. The survivors prayed for help, without knowing when or how it might come. When help arrived, in the form of a ship filled with food and supplies from England, a prayer meeting was held to give thanks to God.

How appropriate it would be to have a prayer meeting on Thanksgiving morning to just thank God for all He has done and has given to us! Not one request would be uttered, and not one voice would be silent. The time would fly by, and no one would want to go home. There is just so much for which to be thankful. If we started our Thanksgiving Day that way, it would change the whole day for the better. I dare say we would shed many tears for God is so good. In fact, one day is not enough to praise Him. Let us thank and praise Him every single day!