After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father…John 17:1
In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that… Luke 10:21
…Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me, but I say this for the benefit of the people standing here, so they may believe that You sent Me.” John 11:41-43

Today is Thanksgiving Day. We gather with family and friends to celebrate our bounty, our family and our many blessings. But Thanksgiving is also about remembering our forefather Pilgrims who were men and women of great faith. The very first Thanksgiving was a day to praise, thank and honor God who had saved them from starvation. The historical details of what the Pilgrims endured is lost in much sentimental fiction. There can be no question but that these stalwart Puritans must have prayed long and hard, perhaps for hours – before sitting down to eat. Their Thanksgiving wasn’t one gargantuan meal with a few obligatory thank you’s thrown in, but an entire day of prayer. Dependent on God for that miracle of food which sustained them, they acknowledged first the miracle Maker.

Today as we sit down to eat, it is often customary to share what we’re grateful for. “I am grateful for my family. I am grateful for living in such a beautiful place. I am thankful for not having to eat parched corn and toughened wild birds. I am thankful for …” The list is long and personal because as Americans we are so fortunate. As believers, we walk in God’s grace and mercies and blessing. It’s hard to pick out only one or two things because there is much to be thankful for. But here’s the thing. Most often gratitude is for something, for a gift of what. Our language and words betray us. We’ve forgotten the Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving Day.

Jesus prayed a lot. He prayed in front of others, in the throng of the multitudes and He prayed when He was alone on the mountain in the long hours of the night. He prayed in the Garden before His crucifixion. He prayed before His greatest miracles. He prayed for the disciples. His prayers and His daily life were inseparable so that the disciples wanted Jesus to teach them how to pray. He began this way: Our Father…

When Jesus prayed His eyes were on the Father. He often lifted His head and looked toward heaven. His mind was open to the Father’s will. His ears listened to the Father’s voice. His heart beat with love and gratitude to the Father, not for things or personal blessings but for God’s will to be done and for Him to be glorified. Jesus’ prayers were constant thank you’s born of relationship: God the Father, Jesus the Beloved and only Son. Jesus prayed out of joy because He knew that the Father heard Him. I read those lines in John 11 where Jesus says,

“Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me, …”

… and I am stunned by this personal revelation. What greater reason is there for thanksgiving? The Father of our Lord Jesus always hears Him and because of Jesus God hears our prayers as well!

Today as gratitude stirs in our hearts , lift up eyes to heaven remembering Jesus and the gift of His salvation and then thank the One whom Jesus constantly thanked. May today’s Thanksgiving prayer joyfully begin with “Father…”