Psalms and Thanksgiving Thoughts

Psalm 100
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures
forever;
his faithfulness continues through all
generations.

Psalm 92:1-8
It is good to praise the Lord
and make music to your name, O Most High,
to proclaim your love in t he morning
and your faithfulness at night,
to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
and the melody of the harp
For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord;
I sing for joy at the works of your hands.
How great are your works, O Lord,
how profound your thoughts!
The senseless man does not know,
fools do not understand,
that though the wicked spring up like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they will be forever destroyed.
But you, O Lord, are exalted forever.

For What I'm Thankful:

(This is NOT a complete listing...)

I’m thankful for my mom’s amazing cooking
But I’m also thankful for the food that I’m given at college

I’m thankful for my own bed and room – both at home and school

I’m thankful for the warmth of my house – and my dorm room

I’m thankful for the peace and quiet at my own house

I’m thankful for the wonderful family of girls on my floor (and my incredible RA!)

I’m thankful for the love that my mom and dad give me
For the 9 months my mom spent carrying me
For the 18 years they spent raising me
For the 4 years of stress they endured as marching band parents
For the multiple years before that they were band parents and PTA parents
For daring to teach me to drive
For taking me out blueberry picking, hiking, camping in the rain, and riding four-wheelers
For letting me have a dog
For forcing me to do something whenever I didn’t want to do it
For making me try a tablespoon of everything
For being understanding that despite my intelligence and what my teachers say, I’ll always be slow to learn life lessons
For driving me to lessons, every week, taking up 3-4 hours of their time
For supporting my musical endeavors, even when they didn’t understand them
For always letting me know that no matter where I went or what I achieved, they would still love me

I’m thankful for the teaching and support I receive from the family of North Baptist

I’m thankful for the spontaneity that comes when Mr. Austin doesn’t know whether he wants the congregation to sit or stand during the service

I’m thankful for the wealth of literature that has been written and that I have the ability to partake of it

I’m thankful for the immense quantity of music that has been composed and that I have the opportunity to enjoy it

I’m thankful for the opportunities to enjoy the diversion that we have in this country

I’m thankful for all the teachers I’ve had in the past who have taught me more than textbooks alone could teach

I’m thankful for days of work and time of rest

I'm thankful for the 3 years I spent doing musical pits

I’m thankful for caffeine that helps when sleep is not accessible

I’m thankful for chocolate, which needs no explanation

I’m thankful for the amazing friends who have helped me through the hard times
Who have laughed at my jokes – good and bad
Who have planned out a variety of pranks when I was bored and needed a rush
Who know my faults but choose to be associated with me anyway
Who don’t leave me, even when I’m a grouch
Who are willing to confront me when I need it
Who take time to keep me humble
Who call me up, even when we’re miles apart
Who smile and beam when they see me
Who challenge the common standards and push the lines of reality in hope of a better world
Who dare to survive my driving
Who "argue" with me, merely for the sake of arguing
Who stay up late with me cramming for tests
Who stay up late with me, laughing away the pain and stress
Who come to me, asking nothing of me

I’m thankful for my past – the good parts and the bad—for it has made me who I am

I’m thankful for the community of believers at Houghton

I’m thankful for the wealth of knowledge I’ve obtained through the years of schooling

I'm thankful for the wonderful years I spent in field band

I’m thankful for everything I’ve learned around the lunch table

I’m thankful for the musical ability I’ve been given by God

I’m thankful for baking talent that my Grandma passed down to me

I’m thankful for the ability to care for the needs of others

I’m thankful for the gift of singleness

I’m thankful for my God
Who is sovereign above all
Who is the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End
Who is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresence
Who is the Creator of the universe
Who is the Judge of all
Who sent His Son, to bridge the gap that we created
Who bore my sins and inequities
Who took my place on the cross
Who was raised on the third day to take away the sting of death
Who knows me, yet loves me, when I don't even understand what that means
Who is my perfect heavenly Father
Who knows every step I take, even before I take
Who has a good and perfect plan for me
Who picks me up each time I fall
Who has a sense of humor and extreme amount of patience to put up with me
Who keeps revealing Himself to me at times and places I least expect
Who keeps chasing me, even when I want to run away
Who will never leave me nor forsake me
Who is my strength when I have none
Who is the great mystery – the Most Sovereign, choosing the lowest to be His children


Martin Rinkart was called to be the pastor of the Lutheran church in his hometown of Eilenberg, Germany. He arrived there just as the terrible bloodshed of the Thirty Years War was beginning. The city of Eilenberg was a walled city and it became the refuge for political and military fugitives. This, however, caused serious overcrowding, and deadly pestilence and famine swept through the city. Armies overran it three times, leaving death and destruction in their wake. The population of Germany went from 16 million to 6 million during this time.
The Rinkart home was a refuge for the victims, even though he was often hard-pressed to provide for his own family. In the year 1637 the plague was particularly severe. At its peak, Rinkart was the only pastor remaining in Eilenberg, conducting as many as 50 funerals in a day. He performed more than 4000 funerals in that year alone, including that of his beloved wife. It is in this setting that he wrote the famous hymn "Now Thank We All Our God", as a table hymn for his children. Circumstances do not determine our praise - no matter what happens, God is unchanging and still worthy of our adoration.


Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

Oh, may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And guard us through all ills in this world, till the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given,
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, Whom earth and Heav’n adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.


Remember to ponder this, each day of the year : for what are you thankful?