Happy Thanksgiving! I thought it would be appropriate for this Thanksgiving to share a Puritan prayer of praise and thanksgiving. The Pilgrims that landed at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts were in actuality separatists, the Puritans themselves were not. There were many similarities, however, and I can imagine a similar prayer said at the table of those early settlers. Life was hard, but they still found reasons to be thankful to God and find Him worthy of praise.
If you are not sure what to be thankful for today, let your heart echo the Puritan author of this prayer from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions below:
O My GOD,
Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects,
my heart admires, adores, loves thee,
for my little vessel is as full as it can be,
and I would pour out all that fullness before thee in ceaseless flow.
When I think upon and converse with thee
ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,
ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,
ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,
crowding into every moment of happiness.I bless thee for the soul thou has created,
for adorning it, sanctifying it,
though it is fixed in barren soil;
for the body thou hast given me,
for preserving its strength and vigour,
for providing senses to enjoy delights,
for the ease and freedom of my limbs,
for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding;
for thy royal bounty providing my daily support,
for a full table and overflowing cup,
for appetite, taste, sweetness,
for social joys of relatives and friends,
for ability to serve others,
for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,
for a mind to care for my fellow-men,
for opportunities of spreading happiness around,
for loved ones in the joys of heaven,
for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.I love thee above the powers of language to express,
for what thou art to thy creatures.Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity.
Originally published in 2017.
