Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
Psalms 136:1
The following is a prayer for Thanksgiving that I read at the Thanksgiving Sunday Evening service, We all repeated the refrain: “For this we give You thanks.”
A Thanksgiving Prayer
Father, we bow before You and give You thanks for Your grace.
It is by Your grace that we were created. You didn’t owe us life. But You graciously gave us life. For this we give You thanks.
It is by Your grace that human life was not extinguished when we—in Adam—rebelled and sinned against You. In that dark hour justice cried out for the death of man. But You graciously allowed us to live. For this we give You thanks.
It is by Your grace that even though dead in our trespasses and sins, we know of Your existence. While scoffers seek to explain Your existence away on “Scientific” grounds, calling You Mother Nature, by Your grace we see You, the Invisible, and know You, the unknowable. You didn’t owe us a revelation of Yourself, but You graciously revealed Yourself to us anyway. For this we give You thanks.
It is by Your grace that when we were presented with the facts concerning Your immeasurable holiness and our hopelessness as sinners, that we received Christ as Lord and Savior. If left to ourselves we would have continued to reject You. But You graciously changed our hearts and gave us both the desire and the ability to believe on Jesus Christ and to repent of our sin. For this we give You thanks.
It is by Your grace that we enjoy the blessings of health, family, friends, food to eat, clothing to wear, and roofs over our heads. It is by Your grace that we have such abundance of material wealth that we forget about You. You do not owe us such blessings, but You graciously bless us anyway. For this we give You thanks.
It is by Your grace that we suffer, whether with poor health, financial woes, loneliness, depression, or a host of other things. It truly is Your grace that allows such trials to touch the objects of Your affection in order to keep us from straying from You, and to draw us back when we do wander. You do not owe us that kind of love, but You graciously love us anyway. For this we give You thanks.
It is by Your grace that we are forgiven when, even as Your redeemed children, we continue to sin against You. By rights we would forfeit our salvation by our sin, but You graciously forgive us over and over and over again, keeping us for Yourself and for Your eternal glory. For this we give You thanks.
Father, You are a debtor to no one. You owe mankind nothing. You are not obligated to sinful and rebellious people. Yet You graciously love, and forgive. For this we give You thanks.
May we learn to say, “Thank You” with more than our lips. May we say, “Thank You” with our lives. May we understand our obligation to You for all You are and for all You do, and may we live our lives in a manner that says, “We give You thanks.”
Amen.