The early colonists in the Americas set aside regular days for prayer to give thanks for a variety of reasons including the harvest. It was not an official holiday for the entire United States until the actions of Sarah J. Hale led President Abraham Lincoln to declare it a national holiday in October 1863. But what is the history and heart of thanksgiving beyond the American holiday?
Gratitude in the Old Testament
While Thanksgiving has roots in colonial America and the American Civil War, the tradition of giving thanks to God goes back to much earlier times. For example, Moses gave thanks to God in Exodus 15 after God had helped the Israelites escape across the Red Sea:
“Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him” (Exodus 15:1–2).
In addition to Moses giving thanks to God, we also see Joseph’s gratitude and thankfulness even during his darkest hours. Joseph was blessed with dreams that highlighted him as special in God’s eyes, which led to the jealousy of his brothers. While his brothers had meant to do harm to Joseph by selling him into slavery, God used this for good. In each area of Joseph’s life where he could be lost and sorrowful, he chose to trust in God’s plan and be thankful in all his circumstances. Through this he was able to go from a slave in Egypt to one of the men who provided for the nation during a time of famine.
“Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.”
Genesis 41:40–41
Expressing Gratitude through the Psalms
We see many Psalms that discuss gratitude. The entire book shares the experiences and life of the individual writers of the Psalms, including David. We read of both happiness and sadness, gratitude and questions. But through it all we see God is with us in times of trouble.
We are reminded how to express gratitude in numerous psalms including:
- Psalm 100
- Psalm 136
- Psalm 92
- Psalm 34
- Psalm 23
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations” (Psalm 100).
When we are in need of reminding ourselves of the history and heart of thanksgiving, we can turn to the Psalms. Let’s raise our voices to express our gratitude to God for all His wondrous deeds.
The Gospels
Just as individuals in the Old Testament have provided examples for how we can express our gratitude to God, Jesus sets forth examples in the Gospels. He tells us how to pray, thank God before meals, and thank God after something has come out in our favor.
In Matthew 6:7–13, Jesus reminds us that our prayers should be meaningful and that God already knows our desires before we utter them aloud. He then provides us with a way to pray to our Father. God will provide for us, much as he provided for Moses and Joseph in the Old Testament.
“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” (Matthew 6:25–26).
We are reminded to give thanks before we eat. Jesus demonstrated this need for gratitude on several occasions including the feeding of the multitudes.
“And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full” (Matthew 15:35–36).
Finally we are reminded to demonstrate gratitude when our prayers have been answered. When Jesus visited Martha and Mary after their brother, Lazarus, had died, he gave thanks to God when requesting Lazarus to come forth from his grave. Do we remember to thank our Father when he has provided for us as Jesus did?
Gratitude in the Rest of the New Testament
One of my favorite places to turn for inspiration to celebrate every day with a grateful heart is the letters written by the followers of Jesus. We could simply do a word study using these letters. Look for thanksgiving, gratitude, grateful, etc. in the letters. Or we could dig deeper into why the writers are thankful or imploring their readers to be thankful.
Paul reminds us to be thankful in everything in Colossians. Our thanksgiving and gratitude should be constant, even when things do not turn out the way we had hoped. And while we offer God our thanks, we should also spread the Word of the Gospel to others. What a wonderful way to exhibit our thankfulness in our everyday life! Share the Good News with others.
Chapter 3 of Colossians offers us specific examples as to how we can live our lives. These actions will demonstrate our gratitude towards God and each other.
“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged” (Colossians 3:17–21).
Finally, I would like to leave you with one of my favorite Bible verses.
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7).
May the peace of God be with you this Thanksgiving, whether you celebrate with family, friends, or alone. I pray that you will show gratitude every day of your life.
HomeschoolingFinds.com Author
This article has been written by Kristen Heider. She is the Business Building Team Manager and the Social Media Manager of The Old Schoolhouse®. She shares more about her family’s homeschooling journey at A Mom’s Quest Teach.