I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and call on the name of the LORD.
Psalm 116-17
Jesus Tells Us; If you want to have a thankful heart, you must work to protect it. Remember that you live in a fallen world, full of sin. Both blessings and sorrows are all around you, and they are mixed up together. Work to keep your heart and mind focused on the good things. too many of My children choose to focus on the hard times and the trouble. They walk through a day filled with beauty and brightness, and they see only the gray of sorrow and sin. They forget to look for My blessings, and darkness fills their minds. Thankfulness is your greatest protection against that darkness.
Jesus Concludes; When your heart is thankful, you know that the Light of My Presence is shining on you, and you can walk through even the grayest day with Joy in your heart.
Psalm 116:17; Psalm 118:24; Study Notes
Footnotes Psalm 116:1 God loves to respond to us, so you can always reach him. He bends down and listens to your voice. He gets on your level and looks in your eyes. Even though he has millions of children, he can focus on you totally. This writer’s love for the Lord had grown because he had experienced answers to his prayers. Take time to recall the many times God has answered your prayers. If you are discouraged, remember that God is near, listening carefully to every prayer and answering each one in his timing to give you his best.
Passage Psalm 118:24; The LORD has done it this very day, let us rejoice today and be glad.
Footnotes Psalm 118:24; There are days when the last thing we want to do is rejoice. Our mood is gloomy, the situation is out of hand, and our sorrow or guilt is overwhelming. We can relate to the writers of the psalms, who often felt this way. But no matter how low the writers felt, they were always honest with God. And as they poured out their hearts to him, their despair often turned to praise. When you don’t feel like rejoicing, tell God how you truly feel. You will find that God will show you reasons to rejoice.
Jesus Tells Us is from the Jesus Calling 365 devotions for kids.
Footnotes Source: Life Application Study Bible
THE WORLD…we see history
THANKSGIVING DAY HOLIDAY IS BORN NOVEMBER 26TH 1789
AFTER THE CONSTITUTION WAS SIGNED
After the constitution was adopted, the First Congress searched for a way for Americans to express gratitude to God. Special days of thanksgiving had been a part of American history since Pilgrim times. Before and during the Revolutionary War, frequent days of fasting, prayer, and thanksgiving were appointed. But now, against all odds, America was a new nation with a new Constitution, a new president, and a new Congress. Should there not be a special day for praise and thanksgiving to God? On September 25th, 1789, Congress finished work on twelve proposed amendments to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and prepared to take a break. Before the session adjourned, Elias Boudinot rose to introduce a resolution calling on the president to issue a proclamation of public prayer, and thanksgiving. Boudinot’s motion was hotly debated. Some congressmen felt the custom was too “European.” Others believed the federal government had no authority to issue national proclamations, that was the prerogative of the states. And those who still harbored unhappiness with the Constitution had no reason to thank God for it. Roger Sherman of Connecticut, the only person to have signed all four of the great founding documents of the United States (the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution), argued in favor of the resolution, saying the act of national thanksgiving is “warranted by a number of precedents” in the Bible, such as “the solemn thanksgiving and rejoicing which took place in the time of Solomon, after the building of the temple.” The motion passed, and on October 3rd, 1789, George Washington set aside November 26th as a national-day-of-prayer and thanksgiving, saying:
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 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.
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On November 26th, President Washington attended services as St. Paul’s Chapel in New York City, and donated beer and food to the imprisoned debtors of the city. In his diary, he wrote, “November 26th- Being the day appointed for a thanksgiving, I went to St. Paul’s Chapel, though it was most inclement and stormy, but few people at Church.” Other churches, however, saw greater success. Newspapers carried the proclamation, and churches conducted special worship services on that day. Thanksgiving Day was “widely celebrated throughout the nation.”
At First Presbyterian Church in Freehold, New Jersey, Rev. John Woodhull, who had been a Revolutionary War chaplain, preached “A Sermon for the Day of Public Thanksgiving, Appointed by the President, On Account of the Establishment of the New Constitution, & c.” his text was Psalm 97:1: “The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice.” Psalm 97 is among the great psalms of praise that focus on the glory of the enthroned God who reigns forever. According to verse 2, clouds of darkness surround Him, and righteousness is the foundation of His throne. Verse 4 says vividly, “His lightnings light up the world.” Verse 6 says, “The heavens declare His righteousness.” And verse 12 admonishes us to rejoice in Him and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. during his sermon, Woodhull said, “With respect to us in these United States, wise observers have, with grateful admiration, [noticed] a kind and powerful hand of Providence conducting us from the feeble state on infancy and dependence, through darkness, through dangers, and through a long and bloody contest, to our present state of greatness and glory.” In following years, other presidents offered similar resolutions, but not until 1863 did Thanksgiving Day become an annual federal holiday, established by President Abraham Lincoln during the dark days of the Civil War.
Source: 100 BIBLE VERSES THAT MADE AMERICA, Page 124/ https://www.robertjmorgan.com/100verses/