My Lord never ceases to amaze me! He took, what I thought, was just a fun birthday trip for my daughter and turned it in to such lesson on learning to be thankful for things I have taken for granted. We took our family to DC just a couple weeks ago for a surprise birthday trip for Callie and the Lord turned that into a time to grow me and nudge me deeper into an appreciation of him and our country. Before we left for DC, I have to be honest when I say that I had grown a little disheartened in our country. But as a parent, I wanted my kids to see our nation’s capital and all the history. Never did I imagine that the Lord would prick my heart in such a way that would make me enter into this thanksgiving season with a heart so overflowing with gratitude and love for our awesome God!
As we walked around our nation’s capital, we did all the “touristy” stuff; the White House tour, the Capitol tour, Lincoln Memorial, Ford’s Theatre, Smithsonian, Washington Monument, National Archives, etc. But what struck me the most was walking into each and every building and hearing the security guards and tour guides give us instruction and the history behind these buildings and documents. Wow! They took such great pride in telling us the history of our country and I found that I hung on every word! It was amazing! My “aha moment” of the trip was being in the room where our Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights were displayed with such reverence. I imagined myself there as our founding fathers, deep in discussion and prayer, were writing these documents that would forever be ingrained in our very foundation. And it hit me…no matter where our country is now or where it is headed, no one can EVER take away what our country was founded upon and that is our God! I think sometimes, I removed myself mentally from those foundations because I would see what was taking place now, but God whispered in my ear, right there in the National Archives building, that he is here and he is in control. What peace he gave me and what an emotional moment that was for me.
I left DC with a deeper love for my Savior! First because he took my sins and died on a rugged old cross for me, and then because he reminded me that he is still here and still rules the world!
I Cor. 15:3-4 “ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,”
Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;”
Upon our return, we entered the thanksgiving season and started preparing for the great events of school parties & family dinners and I hungered to know more. I wanted to go back to the first thanksgiving and see what happened and how thanksgiving continued to grow into the event it is today. What I came across was our first president’s “Thanksgiving Proclamation”. I had never read it before and I again was humbled at our nation’s history. I want to share it with you:
George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation
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 and 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 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 enable 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 has 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 to us), and to bless them with good governments, 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 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.
NOTE:
Shortly after the Thanksgiving Proclamation was written, it was lost for 130 years. The original document was written in long hand by William Jackson, secretary to the President, and was then signed by George Washington. It was probably misplaced or mixed in with some private papers when the US capitol moved from New York to Washington, D.C. The original manuscript was not placed in the National Archives until 1921 when Dr. J. C. Fitzpatrick, assistant chief of the manuscripts division of the Library of Congress found the proclamation at an auction sale being held at an art gallery in New York. Dr Fitzpatrick purchased the document for $300.00 for the Library of Congress, in which it now resides. It was the first official presidential proclamation issued in the United States.
That is proof of what our country was founded on!
Thank you sweet Lord for showing me that you are here, and that no matter what happens, no one can EVER take you out of our country’s foundation. You are forever etched in history as the basis of this nation and the Lord of all!
I enter this thanksgiving with such gratitude for my Lord’s never ending love, provision, and grace, and a heart overflowing with blessings of family, friends, and a country that I have a renewed love for.
I know this post has been lengthy, and for that, I apologize. I can tend to ramble on and on when I talk about my Lord and the wonderful things he has shown me. I pray that you all have a blessed thanksgiving and also experience a renewed sense of his blessings, which are all around (sometimes in unsuspecting places)!
Psalm 100:4 “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise, Give thanks to him and praise his name.”
Blessings to you~
Allison
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