Psalm 139: ¹ Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord! ² Lift up your hands to the holy place, and bless the Lord. ³ May the Lord, maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion. 

This passage reminds me of times in the past when I’ve participated in 24-hour worship in which the worship team from the church I led partnered with worship teams of other churches to take turns literally worshipping the Lord and praying for an entire day and night. There is something unique about worship in the middle of the night when your body is telling you to sleep but your spirit is awake with praise.

This Thanksgiving morning I give praise to my Lord Jesus Christ for so many things. I know some of you are really struggling right now, whether other people are aware or not. Some of you are lonely, separated from loved ones. Some are grieving the loss of someone dear to you. Some are dealing with illness or poor health. Some are struggling financially, wondering if you will have what you need. I have struggles too my friends.

Yet this morning is for thanks. And praise. And gratitude. I am so very grateful for all of you who join me in this space reading the word of God and reflecting on that word. You are a gift to me and I pray I am a gift to you. I leave you today with the words of v.3 “May the Lord, maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion”. Amen.