Then Yeshua made them all sit down in groups on the green grass. So they reclined in groups of hundreds and fifties. And He took the five loaves and the two fish; and looking up to heaven, He offered the bracha. He broke the loaves and kept giving them to the disciples to serve to the people; and He divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and fish.

—Mark 6:39-43 (Tree of Life Version)

In my opinion, one of the best things about being an American is Thanksgiving. Even though it has become highly commercialized like many other holidays, 160 years ago Abraham Lincoln really got it right when he issued a proclamation on October 3, 1863, declaring that the last Thursday of November would be set aside “as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

If you know your history, you’ll notice that this decision took place right smack dab in the middle of the Civil War. The country was in chaos, being torn apart by war, but Lincoln believed there was still something to be thankful for and led the nation accordingly.

I think we see something similar in our passage for today that can teach us two important things about giving thanks—the feeding of the 5,000. The first thing we see comes when Jesus blesses the loaves and fish his disciples find in the crowd.

Jesus has been teaching and healing a large group of people all day. Night is coming on and Jesus’s disciples tell Him He needs to send the crowd away so they can find food. When Jesus responds that they should feed the crowd, the disciples are shocked because they see no way to provide for so many people.

Jesus sends them out to see what the crowd has available and they return with the famous five loaves and two fish. He then has everyone sit down, and He prays a blessing over the food. The Tree of Life Version, a version of the Bible commissioned by Messianic Jews, helps us out a little bit here because we’re not talking about the “God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food” type of blessing. 

The prayer Jesus prayed is called the bracha. If you’ve watched the TV show The Chosen, you’ve probably heard it. It goes like this: “Blessed are You God, our Lord, King of the World, Who brings forth bread from the ground” (translation from the Jewish Virtual Library). Just like Abraham Lincoln’s intention for Thanksgiving Day, it is a prayer of both thanksgiving and praise to the God Who provides.

If I’m being honest, I don’t remember the last time I combined those two things, probably because I have never done so intentionally. It feels like one of those things that I never noticed, but once someone brings it to my attention it suddenly seems obvious—when we are full to the brim of thanksgiving, an overflow of praise—an activity that ushers us into God’s presence—is the natural result. It’s a win-win-win situation.

The second thing I see here is that, just like Lincoln set aside time to give thanks in the middle of war, Jesus gave thanks when all He had was five loaves and two fish—well before the time of need had passed. In other words, He didn’t wait for the blessing to be thankful. He was thankful first, which opened the door for God’s blessing to pour out on thousands of people.

It can be really difficult to be thankful in the middle of a season of struggle—pain, and thanksgiving can sometimes seem like oil and water—but there is much to gain by approaching God with thanksgiving and praise even in the midst of struggle.

So what if we started to prepare our hearts for the holidays with praise and thanksgiving today? Before the family comes to visit. Before the mad rush to clean the house and cook the meal. Before all the crazy, so our eyes are primed to see all the ways God wants to bless us this holiday season.

This week, let’s prepare our hearts together. Each day leading up to Thanksgiving, I’ll post a reminder—some reason we have to be thankful—and I would love to hear what you’re thankful for as well. Let’s celebrate, giving God praise for all the ways He cares for us, and see what He decides to do in our lives as a result!