This week, our American friends celebrate Thanksgiving. And this year, we thought we’d join them in offering our thanksgiving to God for all the good things He has done for us. And also to thank God for using America to stand with Israel.
Most of us Brits are familiar with Thanksgiving through American movies and TV shows. We might know about the Pilgrims having a feast with the natives, or of modern day Thanksgiving turkeys and big family gatherings. We almost certainly know of Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, as that seems to be the only custom we have adopted here in the UK (for better or worse).
The beauty of Thanksgiving, from a Christian perspective, is that it is a national holiday designed specifically around giving thanks to God.
The first Thanksgiving in 1621 is not well documented, but the two eyewitness accounts of the feast both point to God. Edward Wilson described the Pilgrim’s as being “far from want” because of “the marvellous kindness and goodness of God.”
William Bradford writings also demonstrated that the entire viewpoint of the Pilgrim’s was that God was involved in everything they did. The colony’s growth was because “God did so bless their labours” and “out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand.” The bountiful harvest was also seen as “God giving them a good increase,” and it was because of this they set the time aside “to praise the Lord for His goodness.”
In 1789, when George Washington proclaimed the first named Thanksgiving, he said it was a day “to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be… that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection… for the favourable interpositions of His providence… and for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have enjoyed.” Washington then called on the nation to “offer our prayers and supplications to the Lord and Ruler of Nations.”
God was also at the forefront of Abraham Lincoln’s address in 1863, when the President established Thanksgiving as an annual national holiday.
Lincoln said the day was to offer, “Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.”And called on America to “fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation.”
For hundreds of years, this same theme of giving thanks to God has carried through. And even today, most American households still keep their Thanksgiving celebrations focused on God. After all, America is the country with the largest Christian population with around 65% of the population, or over 210 million people, identifying as Christian.
America’s strong Christian heritage is primarily thanks to God’s blessings on that nation, but in part thanks to the foresight of the American forefathers who established days like Thanksgiving to put God as the focus of praise.
America has surely been blessed and used by God, just as Britain has been blessed by God. Both our nations have strong Judeo-Christian foundations and large Christian populations. However, we can also see that both America and Britain both need to get back to the Bible. Taking words from Abraham Lincoln, America and the UK both need “the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation.”
It may be hard for us to say as Brits, but this Thanksgiving, we are thankful to God for His blessings upon America and for using America for His plans and purposes.
We are praying for America. We pray that the Church will thrive in that land and will act as a bulwark against antisemitic hatred. We pray that America will remain a strong ally of Israel, and that American Christians will understand God’s purposes for Israel. And we pray that the truth of the Bible will continue to be proclaimed in America and go out to the nations from there.
God bless America this Thanksgiving.
The CUFI UK Team
A special Thanksgiving message from Pastor John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel.
Pastor John Hagee has a message of thanks for the Christians in America and around the world who are standing with Israel and CUFI.
Read Pastor Hagee’s full message here:
As the Thanksgiving season begins. I, along with the leadership of Christians United for Israel, and our entire CUFI family, sincerely thank you for your unwavering support of Israel and the Jewish people, especially during these challenging times.
Thanks to our dedicated partnership, CUFI can speak the truth about Israel and offer comfort to God’s chosen in their time of need.
Our divinely guided initiatives reach high school and college campuses, churches, communities across the nation, and even the halls of Congress. All made possible because of you.
We thank the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for delivering Israel’s hostages from captivity. And we mourn with those whose loved ones were killed because of this war.
We’re also grateful to the Lord for President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu, whose leadership played a vital role in reuniting these 20 young men with their families.
As we spend time with our families and friends, we pray for God’s protection over our American troops around the world, who are now in harm’s way, as well as the IDF, who risk their lives to defend the only Jewish state.
May the Lord surround you and your loved ones with His blessings of good health, abundant joy, and supernatural favour this Thanksgiving season as you faithfully defend the Apple of God’s Eye.
From our house to your house: Happy Thanksgiving!
(Pastor John Hagee)
