Our family returns thanks after meals. We do so with this common prayer:

O give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good and His mercy endureth forever.

Over the past few weeks, as we cue the kids for prayer before or after a meal, Simeon folds his hands and starts in with “Thank the LORD. Thank the LORD. Thank the LORD.” ad infinitum. He’s just now finding more words, so it sounds more like “Fain Tuh Wah.” – gets me grinning every time.

We have so much for which we thank the Lord in recent days! We’ve welcomed Isaiah Elden to our family. Thank the LORD! We’ve been surrounded by an encouraging and supportive fellowship of family and friends during this time of transition. Thank the LORD! They’ve cooked meals, cared for kiddos, and done our laundry. Thank the LORD! After a long hunt, we stumbled upon a vehicle that has proven to be ideal for our current situation. Thank the LORD! The Prayer League was recently gifted money for the purchase of a washer and dryer to be installed in the basement of the Mission Home. Thank the LORD! Thus, Adrienne will no longer need to manage three flights of stairs to keep our laundry moving. Thank the LORD! The tests I underwent this past week showed clean result and my chest pain has subsided for now. Thank the LORD! As of today, it seems Adrienne’s blood pressure may be coming down – hopefully for good. Praise the LORD! We live in an age where technology can keep us so well-connected when apart from one another. Thank the LORD! We have breath in our lungs and a song in our heart. Thank the LORD! Jesus loves us! Thank the LORD! I could go on and on. Thank the LORD! 

Psalm 107 is a liturgy of thanksgiving and may well be my favorite psalm. As you gather this Thanksgiving, I encourage you to read this psalm out loud and share with one another the good works of God. (emphasis mine)

Psalm 107 (NKJV)

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
And gathered out of the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.

They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;
They found no city to dwell in.
Hungry and thirsty,
Their soul fainted in them.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses.
And He led them forth by the right way,
That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons —
Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And despised the counsel of the Most High,
Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;
They fell down, and there was none to help.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their chains in pieces.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in two.

Fools, because of their transgression,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
Their soul abhorred all manner of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And declare His works with rejoicing.

Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters,
They see the works of the LORD,
And His wonders in the deep.
For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the depths;
Their soul melts because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits’ end.
Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.
Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their desired haven.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people,
And praise Him in the company of the elders.

He turns rivers into a wilderness,
And the watersprings into dry ground;
A fruitful land into barrenness,
For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
He turns a wilderness into pools of water,
And dry land into watersprings.
There He makes the hungry dwell,
That they may establish a city for a dwelling place,
And sow fields and plant vineyards.
That they may yield a fruitful harvest.
He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
And He does not let their cattle decrease.

When they are diminished and brought low
Through oppression, affliction, and sorrow,
He pours contempt on princes,
And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;
Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction,
And makes their families like a flock.
The righteous see it and rejoice,
And all iniquity stops its mouth.

Whoever is wise will observe these things,
And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.

His works are indeed wonderful. However you choose to give thanks this year and whatever words you use, remember that it’s the LORD whom we thank. He is the giver of all good. For what goodness are you giving thanks this year? Fain tuh WAH! Fain tuh WAH! Thank the LORD!