Washington, D.C.
October 3, 1863
By the President of the United States of America.
A Proclamation.
The year that is drawing towards its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign countries to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not hindered the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than before. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battlefield; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel has devised nor has any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, has nevertheless remembered mercy. It seems to me fitting and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our benevolent Father who dwells in the Heavens.
And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the Eighty-eighth.
Abraham Lincoln
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Thoughts for us:
There are various ideas among historians regarding the degree to which Abraham Lincoln was a man of sincere faith. Language such as you see above was common for the period, and a cynic would say that the purpose of this proclamation was to keep the people content and docile amid the heavy losses of civil war. As a [hack?] armchair historian, I see evidence in a number of writings that these sentiments are real, and that 1863 is the year when a lifetime of fairly cultural Christianity transformed into a living reality for Abraham Lincoln. The great burdens of the presidency and war, along with a difficult marriage and the death in childhood of two sons, along with the influence of a really solid pastor (Phineas Gurley) at his Presbyterian church there in DC, all seem to have sobered Lincoln’s soul, both softening and sharpening it for the articulation of deeply God-glorifying words.
As you celebrate a Thanksgiving Day 161 years later, are you able to pause like Lincoln and note how richly God has supplied both you and our whole society? We have places to live. Our tables have food. Jobs are available. Families have new children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews. We are not living in a context of warfare. Even though our society is full of tension, the rule of law still abides. We gather with fellow Christians who love us. We have promises in God’s word that – in Christ – all things are working together for our good, and that the best is yet to come! Whatever other circumstances we may face, the existence of these realities means that we should feel very, very thankful to God! “No human counsel has devised nor has any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God!”
We do not face the uncertainty of a bloody Civil War, but other pressures that Lincoln felt may very well apply to us. Perhaps today you feel rejection; maybe even, like Lincoln, you have experienced very public humiliations. Perhaps, like Lincoln, you have suffered immeasurable loss, maybe also the untimely deaths of loved ones. Perhaps, like Lincoln, you have to get up every day to navigate relationships that can feel utterly untenable – both in the workplace and often at home. Whatever the darkness that has plagued your life, know that you’re not alone in that experience, nor are you exempt from giving thanks to God in the midst of that. In fact, nothing could be better for your soul than to turn it toward thanksgiving!
Like Lincoln, do you further recognize that we deserve none of these rich provisions for which we give thanks? We lose our thankfulness to God when we embrace a sense of entitlement. What would it look like for this Thanksgiving to be a time for you to combat that entitlement that our culture so broadly excuses and even commends? Lincoln says that “God, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, has nevertheless remembered mercy.” He also speaks of using the time for “humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience.” Scripture often shows the godly (e.g. the Psalmist, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah) identifying with and confessing the sins of the broader people. How might you use a small portion of this Thanksgiving break to spend time confessing the sins of yourself, your family, the church, and society, pleading with God for continued mercy?
Lastly, Lincoln tells America to pray for “all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers.” What would it look like for you to use this Thanksgiving break, not just to rest, consume, and enjoy, but also to proactively pray for and serve those who are hurting around you? Maybe it’s an extended family member that you need to actually pursue instead of simply enduring this year. Maybe it’s a neighbor with known needs that you can do something about. Maybe it’s someone in the church whom God has put on your heart to reach out to at this specific time. Follow through on those impulses! These are all expressions of a thankful heart, free from entitlement and rich in humble reliance upon Providence.
Romans 1:18-21
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness…for although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
Philippians 4:5b-7
“The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Psalm 50:23
“The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies Me; to the one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”