Dear Beloved Friend,

The day we call Thanksgiving is almost upon us. And as I've reflected on this cherished American holiday, I felt led to share with you a few things about its establishment that I had not known in my younger years. I hope it will be a blessing to you.

Most historians believe the first Thanksgiving was observed at Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts in 1621. The occasion for the celebration was to thank God for the provision of food that would see them through the cold New England winter.

For more than the next two centuries it was mostly the Puritans who, in different colonies and states, observed days for Thanksgiving as occasions during which they could thank God for special blessings. The dates and details were varied but centered on thanksgiving to God.

In 1827, the first female magazine editor and prolific writer by the name of Sarah Josepha Hale launched a 36-year, non-stop campaign to establish Thanksgiving as an official national holiday through editorials and sending letters to governors, senators, and presidents.

In 1863, Abraham Lincoln heeded her call. He saw a unified national Thanksgiving Day as a possible way of uniting our divided nation. In the midst of the Civil War, Lincoln sent out a proclamation pleading with all Americans to ask God on the last Thursday of November each year to "commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife" and "to heal the wounds of the nation."

It was not until 1941 that the U.S. Senate passed an amendment to a joint resolution of Congress, which required that Thanksgiving Day be observed on the fourth Thursday of November.

In the years that followed, Thanksgiving became synonymous with an occasion for the eating of a large meal with family and friends. It now has become the unofficial start of a month-long or longer shopping extravaganza leading up to Christmas, and an occasion to gather large crowds to "Thanksgiving football games."

But, in the midst of it all, many Americans have forgotten - or never really understood - the real meaning of the day. Its real meaning is so close it could almost jump up and bite us. It is "Thanksgiving," or simply invert the word to "giving thanks." And the One to whom thanks is to be given is God.

Several dictionaries consulted defined "Thanksgiving" as noted below.

First: "The act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of benefits or favors, especially to God."

Second: "An expression of thanks, especially to God."

Third: "A public celebration in acknowledgment of divine favor or kindness."

Fourth: "A day set apart for giving thanks to God."

Permit me to make some suggestions of things for which we can thank God this Thanksgiving:

• Thank God that He is.

• Thank God that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

• Thank God that He is holy, righteous, and just.

• Thank God that He is all-powerful, all-present, and all-knowing.

• Thank God that He is loving, faithful, and gracious.

• Thank God that He is long-suffering, merciful, and good.

• Thank God that He is infinite, eternal, and unchanging.

• Thank God that His Son is the still point in a world that is careening out of control and heading for a catastrophic collision with its Creator.

• Thank God that He sent His Son into the world to save sinners.

• Thank God that "all things work together for good to them that love God" and are called according to His purpose.

• Thank God that on Christ the solid Rock we stand, because all other ground is sinking sand.

• Thank God that Jesus is coming again and that He is going to turn this upside-down world right side up.

I thank God for the privilege of sharing this letter with you and, on behalf of the Zion's Hope mission family, I extend to you and your loved ones prayerful wishes for a blessed Thanksgiving as you "give thanks" to God for His infinite grace.

P.S. If you would like to make a ministry donation to the work of Zion's Hope, please click below, or call 1-888-781-9466.