I invite you to join me each day as we pray for our nation until the election crisis has resolved. I’ll be reading the daily Give Him 15, making comments, and then we will pray together. You can join me here as we Appeal to Heaven for America.

Thanksgiving Day 2020

The following is the Presidential Proclamation for Thanksgiving Day 2019 from President Donald J. Trump. It is so encouraging to read these words that recount the nation’s covenant with God and honor the Lord. [At the time of this writing, the president’s 2020 Proclamation had not yet been released, but you will be able to find it today at www.whitehouse.gov.] Ceci and I pray your Thanksgiving Day celebration is filled with the goodness of God to you and your families and friends. In all your celebrating, remember Him!

“On Thanksgiving Day, we remember with reverence and gratitude the bountiful blessings afforded to us by our Creator, and we recommit to sharing in a spirit of thanksgiving and generosity with our friends, neighbors, and families.

“Nearly four centuries ago, determined individuals with a hopeful vision of a more prosperous life and an abundance of opportunities made a pilgrimage to a distant land. These Pilgrims embarked on their journey across the Atlantic at great personal risk, facing unforeseen trials and tribulations, and unforetold hardships during their passage. After their arrival in the New World, a harsh and deadly winter took the lives of nearly half their population. Those who survived remained unwavering in their faith and foresight of a future rich with liberty and freedom, enduring every impediment as they established one of our Nation’s first settlements. Through God’s divine providence, a meaningful relationship was forged with the Wampanoag Tribe, and through their unwavering resolve and resilience, the Pilgrims enjoyed a bountiful harvest the following year. The celebration of this harvest lasted 3 days and saw Pilgrims and Wampanoag seated together at the table of friendship and unity. That first Thanksgiving provided an enduring symbol of gratitude that is uniquely sewn into the fabric of our American spirit.

“More than 150 years later, it was in this same spirit of unity that President George Washington declared a National Day of Thanksgiving following the Revolutionary War and the ratification of our Constitution. Less than a century later, that hard-won unity came under duress as the United States was engaged in a civil war that threatened the very existence of our Republic. Following the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, in an effort to unite the country and acknowledge ‘the gracious gifts of the Most High God,’ President Abraham Lincoln asked the American people to come together and ‘set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a Day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.’ Today, this tradition continues with millions of Americans gathering each year to give their thanks for the same blessings of liberty for which so many brave patriots have laid down their lives to defend during the Revolutionary War and in the years since.

“Since the first settlers to call our country home landed on American shores, we have always been defined by our resilience and propensity to show gratitude even in the face of great adversity, always remembering the blessings we have been given in spite of the hardships we endure. This Thanksgiving, we pause and acknowledge those who will have empty seats at their table. We ask God to watch over our service members, especially those whose selfless commitment to serving our country and defending our sacred liberty has called them to duty overseas during the holiday season. We also pray for our law enforcement officials and first responders as they carry out their duties to protect and serve our communities. As a Nation, we owe a debt of gratitude to both those who take an oath to safeguard us and our way of life as well as to their families, and we salute them for their immeasurable sacrifices.

“As we gather today with those we hold dear, let us give thanks to Almighty God for the many blessings we enjoy. United together as one people, in gratitude for the freedoms and prosperity that thrive across our land, we acknowledge God as the source of all good gifts. We ask Him for protection and wisdom and for opportunities this Thanksgiving to share with others some measure of what we have so providentially received.”

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1; BSB)

Give Him 15 minutes in prayer:

• Thank the Lord for His mercy and the continued bountiful blessings He bestows upon our nation.
• Thank Him for sending the Pilgrims and other early Christian settlers to covenant together with Him and to establish His purposes for America.
• Proclaim, “We thank You, Lord, for the sacrifices of our Christian brothers and sisters in the past. May those sacrifices be forever honored by future generations of believers who continue to enjoy the blessings of the covenants that were established with You in those days.”
• Thank the Lord for President Donald J. Trump as he leads us in recounting God’s faithfulness and thanking Him for His goodness. Bless him for his God-fearing leadership.

A prayer you can pray:

Father, we are thankful for the United States of America. We are thankful for the covenants our Christian forefathers made with You. They sacrificed more than we can ever imagine in order to fulfill Your will in their generation. They knew they were sent here to dedicate this land to You and Your divine purposes. Therefore, we thank You, Lord, for those sacrifices made so long ago. May those that prayed, endured much hardship, fought, and established America be forever honored by future generations of believers. We are so grateful for the blessings of the covenants that were established with You in those days.

May every believer today remember to thank You for those covenants. Your promises are eternal. We may break them, but You never do. You will always find a way to partner with Your Ekklesia to see them restored, when we humble ourselves in prayer before You. For that mercy extended to us time and again, and so many other things, we thank You. 

We are grateful as well for President Donald Trump. He has been a gift to this nation, Lord. He has been one that You can count on to listen to Godly counsel, and expose the dark forces coming against Your plans and covenant. He can see Your plan as Christian leaders have presented it to him. We bless him for he gives honor to Your name and he honors our Christian heritage and history. Provide the grace he needs to continue to lead this great country. Provide mercy for America to maintain our covenants with You. Amen.

Today’s decree:

We acknowledge God alone as the source of all good gifts, including the freedoms and prosperity that thrive in the United States of America.