224 Years of Thanks

This Thankgiving, I’m thanking God for about seven million things. At the top of the list are my Lord, family, friends, job, and country.

It’s so easy to rush through life and take all these blessings for granted. Then I get a wakeup call.

The wakeup call this week was reading President George Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Address. It reminded me once again of the incredible odds stacked against our nation ever forming.

We were thirteen separate nation states trying to unite in one common cause. We were internally split between those who sympathized with King George, those willing to fight and die with General George, and those who were waiting to join the winning side. We were poor. We had limited training. And did I mention we were taking on the world’s superpower?

Yet, we won.

Our soldiers fought bravely, our allies gave us invaluable support, and God blessed us.

224 years ago, President George Washington acknowledged God’s watchful care over these United States. He did not speak of God as a passive, background force, but an active, loving presence “who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be…”

President Washington urged “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 favor, able interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war.”

Not only did we survive this war; we also peacefully forged a Constitution to unite thirteen colonies deeply divided over core issues such as trade, sovereignty, and slavery.

You and I are reaping the benefits of God’s mercy on our nation. Let’s join with President Washington in thanking God for all He has done!

Thanksgiving Proclamation

Issued by President George Washington, at the request of Congress, on October 3, 1789

By the President of the United States of America, a 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 favor, able interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled 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 trangressions; 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 third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.
Go. Washington

Retrieved from The Heritage Foundation