Tomorrow, as a nation we will celebrate Thanksgiving. This is my favorite national holiday because
it is a time for us to stop and reflect on the goodness and blessings of
God. How sad to realize that our society
has tried so hard to push God out of our lives and our history because it
hasn’t always been like that. There was
a time when this nation understood the need to worship the Almighty God and
seek His guidance and forgiveness. That
was evident from the first Thanksgiving proclamation given by our first
president, George Washington, on October 3, 1789.
To remind us of our heritage and remind us of those things
we should be passing on to our children, I am posting that proclamation as my
article this week.
Thanksgiving
Proclamation
Issued by President George Washington,
at the request of Congress, on October 3, 1789
By
the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.
Whereas
it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to
obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His
protection and favor; and—Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint
committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day
of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with
grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by
affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for
their safety and happiness:”
Now,
therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next,
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 of the people of this
country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold
mercies and the favor, able interpositions of His providence in the course and
conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and
plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in
which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our
safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;
for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we
have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the
great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And
also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and
supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon
our national and other trangressions; to enable us all, whether in public or
private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and
punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by
constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws,
discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all
sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to
bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge
and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among
them and us; and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of
temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
Given
under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of
our Lord 1789.
