Counting Blessings

“Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God hath done.” These words are from the chorus of a hymn popular many years ago. The hymn, “Count Your Blessings,” was written by a Methodist preacher, Johnson Oatman at the end of the 19th century. “Count your Blessings” is not only a hymn, but it is the story of our biblical heritage as a people of faith and a part of our nation’s history. 

Consider for a moment our biblical heritage which includes counting blessings and offering thanks to God.  As a people of the Judeo-Christian heritage our roots are deep with the tradition of giving thanks. Noah, landing after the flood, offered a prayer of thanksgiving for deliverance.  Nehemiah records that when the walls of Jerusalem were dedicated, “they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced in thanks-giving.” The Book of Judges tells of the feast of the ingathering where “they went out into the field, and gathered their vineyard and held festival, and went into the house of their God and ate and drank.” The Jewish festival of Passover became a time of grateful remembrance and thanksgiving for God’s act of deliverance.  Many of the Psalms are expressions of thanksgiving and gratitude to God.

Consider also for a moment our nation’s heritage which includes counting blessings and acts of thanksgiving.  Historical records indicate that our founding fathers and mothers celebrated a day of thanksgiving at the Berkley Plantation in nearby Charles City County, VA and also in New England in Massachusetts.

One story especially is worth repeating. When the Pilgrims of the Massachusetts Bay Colony settled in the new land, during the first dreadful winter half of their number died.  While they did not know what their future held, they did know Who held their future and as religious people they faced each day in hope.  In the summer of 1621 there was a bountiful harvest of corn.  Gov. William Bradford decreed that a three-day feast be held beginning Dec. 12. Thus began a day of thanksgiving set aside for the purpose of prayer and celebration.  A custom of placing 5 grains of corn by each plate was observed as a reminder of the hardships of their first winter, when food was so scarce that each person was rationed 5 grains of corn.  That custom continues in many homes today, especially in New England.   

As one studies early American history it become obvious that the early settles and forefathers of our nation expressed thanksgiving and their gratitude to God daily rather than once a year.  Observing Thanksgiving Day is not simply about a national holiday as a single occasion for giving thanks, but a religious celebration in response to God’s blessings.  The holiday simply helps us as a people of faith focus on the importance of giving thanks as a way of life. Thanksgiving is the proper response for persons who have experienced God’s blessings, least we forget and take our blessings for granted.

Perhaps the danger of our age is that too often we take even the simplest of life’s blessings for granted. The gospel of Luke tells a story of ten lepers who received a special blessing from Jesus, but nine failed to offer thanks. They were in such a hurry to get on with their lives that they didn’t take time to be thankful.  I can relate to that story, can’t you?  We live in a “hurry-up world” that often fails to include taking time for remembering, reflecting, and responding in thanksgiving.

Let’s face it.  Our tendency is to accept life’s blessing as the norm in life.  Yet the Psalmist reminds us that “it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.” (Ps.92:1)  The Apostle Paul makes the point even stronger in these words to the Church in Thessalonica: “give thanks in all circumstances.  Not just in good times, but difficult times also!   To respond in thanksgiving is to acknowledge and identify with the giver. To give thanks for everything, is to trust God with all things!  The attitude of gratitude lies at the heart of true thanksgiving.

As a holiday, Thanksgiving Day will come and go, but the message will remain.  It is the responsibility of who really understand what true thanksgiving is to share the message in regular acts of thanksgiving through a lifestyle of thanks-living.

My hope for all of us as we observe Thanksgiving Day and every day is that we will not take for granted even the simplest expression of God’s grace and love. Let us count our blessings! And let’s not forget the four magic words and join people of faith of every age and generation in saying, “I thank you, Lord.”