Psalm 75: 1
“We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for Your name is near. We recount Your wondrous deeds.”
Our nation has a rich historical foundation for setting aside a specific day to celebrate Thanksgiving. Beginning with the Pilgrims who honored God for His provision in their new homeland, it was followed by George Washington, who honored God for His provision in our new nation. Both men drew particular attention to giving God all credit due for getting them through the most challenging years of hardship and strife.
Governor William Bradford’s first formal declaration of Thanksgiving took place three years after the Pilgrims’ arrival and two years after their first harvest celebration, which was also enjoyed in November. The following is his Thanksgiving Proclamation:
“Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as He has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.
Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the daytime, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.”
~ William Bradford, Ye Governor of Ye Colony
George Washington, our nation’s first President, published a Proclamation on October 3, 1789, for the purpose of encouraging all people of America to join in a celebration of God’s providence and provision, on November 26th of that year:
“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their Joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.” Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this country previous to their becoming a Nation—for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war—for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed—for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us. And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually—to render our national government a blessing to all the People, by constantly being a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed–to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord—To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and Us—and generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best. Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.”
~ By the President of the United States of America, George Washington
Dear Heavenly Father, on the eve of our nation’s Thanksgiving celebration, may we give You, O God, all the honor and glory for the great things You have done this past year. We thank You for the provision of Your bounty, whether it is plentiful or meager, for it comes from You, and we never want to take that for granted. We thank You for Your protection over our nation and us, for our freedoms that many have fought to preserve. And, most of all, we thank You for sending Jesus, who came to die for us so that we might live with You forever. We give you honor and glory today in Jesus’ name. Amen
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