The traditional hymn often identified with Thanksgiving says,
We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing
He chastens and hastens His will to make known
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing
Sing praises to His Name, He forgets not His own
He chastens and hastens His will to make known
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing
Sing praises to His Name, He forgets not His own
Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining
Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine
So from the beginning the fight we were winning
Thou, Lord, were at our side, all glory be Thine!
Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine
So from the beginning the fight we were winning
Thou, Lord, were at our side, all glory be Thine!
About the holiday set aside by President Abraham Lincoln, Scholastic.com writes:
The English colonists we call Pilgrims celebrated days of thanksgiving as part of their religion. But these were days of prayer, not days of feasting. Our national holiday really stems from the feast held in the autumn of 1621 by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag to celebrate the colony's first successful harvest.
We at Illinois Review ask our readers to join us in continuing to boldly ask the Lord's blessing on our nation and state, while making note of the all-important second verse's words:
So from the beginning the fight we were winning
Thou, Lord, were at our side, all glory be Thine!
Great tribute – Amen!