A Song of Thanksgiving

"Let all things now living a song of thanksgiving

To God the Creator triumphantly raise,

Who fashioned and made us, protected and stayed us,

Who guideth us on to the end of our days.

His banners are o'er us, His light goes before us,

A pillar of fire shining forth in the night,

'Til shadows have vanished and darkness is banished,

As forward we travel from light into light.

His law He enforces, the stars in their courses,

The sun in His orbit, obediently shine.

The hills and the mountains, the rivers and fountains,

The deeps of the ocean proclaim Him Divine.

We too should be voicing our love and rejoicing,

With glad adoration a song let us raise,

'Til all things now living unite in thanksgiving

To God in the highest, hosanna and praise!

                                                                              -Katherine K. Davis

Those are the words to a hymn titled "Let All Things Now Living", written by Katherine K. Davis and typically sung to a traditional Welsh melody. It's one of those hymns we don't sing in church any more, but it's still one of my favorites.

 

I was thinking about this song this morning. Not because we have sung it recently; we haven't. We sing some wonderful music in our church. New songs, old songs, the great hymns of our faith. But we haven't sung this particular hymn recently; in fact, I can't even remember the last time I sang this hymn in a church setting! Rather, this morning it has been called up from deep in the recesses of my memory. It's a catchy tune, but this morning the text has my attention.

 

Perhaps it's because I'm not as young as I used to be!  Or perhaps there is some other reason. In any event, I am becoming more and more aware of how much I take for granted. How often I forget to say "thank you". It's not that I'm ungrateful. Forgetful, yes. A little scatter-brained sometimes. Distracted. But not ungrateful. 

 

Today is Thankful Tuesday, a perfect day for a "Song of Thanksgiving"! And I have so many reasons for thanksgiving this morning, not the least of which is the beauty of the world around me. I love this season of the year with its brilliant reds and golds. With its spectacular sunsets and breathtaking morning skies. It's a beautiful season of the year, my favorite season, and I am so thankful.

 

 

There are so many reasons for thanksgiving this morning beyond just the beauty of the season. I'm thankful for my husband and my family. For dear friends. For my church family. For my pastor. For my health. 

 

I'm thankful for the privilege of prayer. I'm thankful that God hears and answers. I'm thankful for those times when I utter a prayer with a very specific request, and within just a few minutes I have my answer! And I'm equally thankful for those times when the answer is a long time in coming. The times when I'm learning how to wait and how to trust. I'm thankful for all that those times are teaching me about God and about faith.

 

I am so very grateful for a Sovereign Lord. One who knows me best and loves me most. One who has all things under control. One who knows exactly how this election will turn out, and exactly why it will turn out that way. One who has a purpose for all things.
 

This morning I am so very grateful. For another day of life. And for the privilege of living it for Jesus!

So very grateful.

It's a good day for a song of thanksgiving!

"My heart overflows with a good theme."  (Psalm 45:1 NASB)