I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me insufficient for that day."
-Abraham Lincoln
The nation was at war with itself. In 1863 the Civil War had raged for more than two tortuous years, and few felt the heavy pain of responsibility more keenly than President Abraham Lincoln.Thanksgiving as a national holiday did not exist. Although George Washington had called for a day to give thanks on October 3, 1789, for the many "favors of Almighty God [leading to] the peaceable establishment of our government," it was not expected to be repeated. In the ensuing years, a few states designated different days of thanksgiving, but nothing was celebrated on a national scale.
Enter Sarah Hale, the 74-year-old magazine editor of the popular Godey's Lady's Book. She believed our country should be united in thanks to God for all His blessings--in spite of the current conflict--and she wrote a letter to Lincoln, as she had to other presidents during the past 15 years. She urged him to set aside a day for annual thanksgiving on a fixed date throughout the nation. Unlike past presidents, Lincoln responded.
On October 3, 1863, exactly 74 years to the day of Washington's announcement, Lincoln issued a proclamation that set apart the last Thursday of November "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him...[they do also]...fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it...to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union."
One must only turn on 24-hour news to see the division our country is suffering today as well. I thank God we have not divided armed forces against our union, but there is little room for cogent debate as fierce opinions divide us. So, let us pray, as did one of our most beloved presidents, that God's Almighty Hand might heal the wounds of our country these 156 years later. Especially this Thanksgiving, let's give thanks for all we have in common and all we share in faith, allowing and respecting that each person has his or her own understanding of events, as we celebrate the "favors of Almighty God" in our lives.
May God bless you with a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving,
Jim
"...With God, all things are possible" - Matthew 19:26
