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Thanksgiving morning slows life down just long enough for us to notice the quiet kindness of God. Before ovens heat up, before football fills the living room, and before the rhythm of the day takes over, there is a moment to breathe and remember who holds our lives together.

Today, my family is heading to my sister's house. The kids will be loud, the table will be full, and by evening we'll likely be laughing over cards or charades. The Gall family will be joining us as well, and because their extended family lives out of state, our table becomes theirs. I'm grateful for that. It reminds me of how the Lord sovereignly knits His people together, forming a spiritual family and placing us in one another's lives through a grace far greater than coincidence.

Every relationship, every season, every person at your table has been sovereignly placed there by a Father who does all things with intention and love.

“The more we understand God’s sovereignty, the more our prayers will be filled with thanksgiving.”
— R. C. Sproul

And while God's sovereignty is easy to see on days like this, Scripture teaches us that our gratitude is anchored in something far deeper than a full table or a joyful moment. Peter reminds us where true thanksgiving begins.

Gratitude Begins With God's Mercy

Scripture never tells us to give thanks because life is predictable. It calls us to give thanks because God's mercy is sure and unchanging. In 1 Peter 1:3-4, Peter lifts our eyes above moments and memories to the eternal foundation of our hope, Christ:

“He has caused us to be born again to a living hope… to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.”
— 1 Peter 1:3–4

These verses give us three anchors for real thanksgiving:

1. Salvation begins with God.
“He has caused us…” reminds us that God acted first. Our salvation is not the result of our effort but of His mercy. Gratitude grows when we remember that grace came before anything we ever did.

2. Our hope is alive because Christ is alive.
“A living hope” is not sentimental optimism. It is hope rooted in the resurrection. Because Christ lives, our hope breathes, and no circumstance can kill what Christ has made alive.

3. Our future is secure and untouched by time.
“An inheritance imperishable, undefiled, unfading.” Everything on our table today fades. But what Christ secured for us does not. Our salvation cannot rot, weaken, spoil, or be taken. That is the anchor of Christian gratitude.

A Prayer Over Families Across America

Father, as families gather across this nation today, some around full tables, some around quiet ones, we ask that You meet each home with fresh mercy. Bring peace where relationships feel strained. Bring comfort where grief sits quietly in the room. Bring unity where there has been division. Strengthen weary parents and lift lonely hearts. Let every home sense the nearness of the Lord who has carried them through each moment of this year. And may our gratitude rest not on the perfection of the day, but on the faithfulness of our God who never changes.

A Prayer for Believers Across the World

Lord, we remember our brothers and sisters around the world who gather differently today, some in hidden places, some under persecution, some with very little, some with great danger. Strengthen them by Your Spirit. Protect them. Fill them with endurance and joy. Remind them that they share the same imperishable inheritance and that they belong to a kingdom no earthly power can shake. Hold them fast in Your unfailing hands.

A Closing Blessing

Wherever this Thanksgiving finds you, surrounded by family or quietly reflecting, may your heart be anchored in Christ. His mercy holds you. His hope sustains you. His inheritance awaits you. Gratitude rooted in Him is not tied to a single moment, but to a Savior who never fades.

From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving. May the Lord bless you and keep you today.