When my youngest son, Stedmon, was small, before each meal he would ask, “Who’ll say grace?” I always responded, “I think this is a good day for Stedmon to say grace.” My oldest son, Steven would usually respond, “I’ll say grace because Stedmon prays too long.” As usual, I chuckled.

My oldest son would pray a different kind of prayer, a prayer based on thanksgiving. He began every prayer with this phrase: “Thank you, Jesus.”

“Thank you, Jesus for my mom and dad.”

“Thank you, Jesus for my brother.”

“Thank you, Jesus for my dog.”

“Thank you, Jesus for our food……”

Although his prayers were short and simple at age eleven, Steven’s prayers were always quite sincere and very meaningful. His prayer was a constant reminder of how important it is to recognize and appreciate the kindness of our Lord and to express our thanks in words.

As you enter the Thanksgiving season this year, who’ll say grace before your meal? Who will give thanks to God for His goodness throughout the year? Who will let God know how much you appreciate His underserved blessings? Who will thank God for the wide range of miracles and healings He’s blessed you with? Who will give thanks to God for the good things that happened, especially those that came out of a bad situation? Who will thank God for always being a very present help in times of trouble?

When we remember what God has done for us and express our gratitude, we actually touch His very heart.

This year, let’s truly focus on the “thanks” part of Thanksgiving when we say grace. It can be easy to go through the motions of saying “thank you” without actually feeling thankful, so guard your heart, actually taking time to meditate on the incredible love and blessings of our wonderful God. Our sincere thanks is the very best gift we can offer to God, out of a heart overflowing with gratitude. Remember that Jesus thanked God and asked Him to bless the food before His meals, and even the Apostle Paul prayed with sincere thanksgiving for God’s generous provision. He said, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).

So I ask, “Who’ll say grace?”

May “grace” this Thanksgiving Day go far beyond the routine blessing of the annual holiday feast. I pray that your “grace” will give thanks to God because we, who have been blessed so abundantly, should also be abundantly grateful, not only because God is deeply moved by our gratitude, but because we owe Him everything!

Happy Thanks-giving!

Shared with you by Barbara Bryant