Dear Father of Creation and our Hearts and our Salvation,

We bless Your Name for all You have done. For forming the world – from enormous unexplored outer space and underwater mysteries, to the intricate stripes of a caterpillar and amazing atoms and cells. For providing food from Your bounty and rest from Your peace. For Your expansive mercy and Your encompassing love to each one whether or not they know it. And all of that creation and mercy and love doesn’t stop. It continues minute by minute and century to century. We love that about You!

We praise You for the knowledge of Your great power in parting the Red Sea and in making a path for us to navigate through the trouble and evil of this current world; in walking in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo and in standing firm with us despite the fires of sickness, threats, and political unrest. We are grateful for our nation’s founders and their discernment that without You any nation would fall, but with You our nation would know freedom not otherwise found. You were with us then and have not stopped. You are with us as long as we acknowledge You and invite You. We do! We are so very grateful for the ability to examine history of every era and see Your hand there. Always there.

We thank You today, this day set apart to give thanks, for freedom from want. Though times have been better, You provide what we need. We give thanks for family and, if we have no family, for friends; and if we are friendless, for a friendly smile. We thank you that though we might not know safety, we know Your protection and deliverance when it is most needed. It never stops. It never goes away. We know the promise of heaven.

There is so much to be grateful for, Dearest Father. And today we give thanks, but we will not stop. No, tomorrow we will give thanks. And all the year through. And all our lives because You – You are the source of all that is good and light and beautiful and hopeful.

In Jesus’ Wonderful Name,

Amen.

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