Excerpted from “A Surviving Diary”
A. B. Simpson
Thanksgiving Day
November 27, 1879
New York
I thank my God and Father today
- For my life given back to me for a prey so often the past year;
- For the great and wonderful promises given me this year for service, restoration and blessing;
- For so many answers to prayer;
- For the wonderful discipline through which He has led my soul, the suffering and the power that has come out of it;
- For the clear light given, gradually and of late so often and vividly, upon the great mystery of my life which almost; crushed me, and for the movement of His mighty Providence steadily, as I believe, towards its full and blessed manifestation, and especially for the desire that His will may be accomplished in it all-in His own time and way;
- For the restoration of fellowship with my two dear and most valued earthly friends and the blessing it has brought already;
- For my separation from my church in Louisville and the painful complications it involved;
- For the wonderful and providential opening up of this great field for the very work I love, and the Spirit of this church and the door of usefulness;
- For the great work of the Missionary Magazine, given to me this year, with its doors of service;
- For the grace to give myself unreservedly to Him of late, and the joy of His Presence and the desire to be with Him here or there, and the faith that He fully accepts me, and will lead me in everything as all His own;
- For the power of the Holy Ghost in preaching as never before this year;
- For many little love tokens of His Presence and Providence (Teeth, House, Servant).
I pray
- For wisdom and Power for this work, as Pastor and Editor;
- For complete deliverance from the Power of Evil in my heart, home, and work in His way;
- For simple faith henceforth that He is doing all things well and I may be free from carefulness;
- For grace to walk in the Spirit wholly, always yielded to His will, trusting perfectly, triumphing over all sin and doubt and pleasing my Father blamelessly;
- For perfect freedom and simplicity in my feelings, and perfect independence in God and for Christ above all men;
- For a Christian temper and attitude towards my wife in everything, so as fully to please God and never regret a word, act, or thought;
- For grace in everything to give thanks.
Thanksgiving
Once again our glad thanksgivings
Rise before our Father’s throne,
As we try to count the blessings
Of the years so swiftly flown;
As we trace the wondrous workings
Of His wisdom, pow’r and love,
And unite our “Holy! Holy!”
With the seraphim above.
As we gather ‘round our firesides
On this new Thanksgiving Day
Time would fail to count the blessings
That have followed all the way;
Grace sufficient, help and healing.
Prayer, oft answered at our call,
And the best of all our blessings,
Christ Himself, our All in All!
While we love to count the blessings
Grateful for the year that’s gone,
Faith would sweep a wider vision,
Hope would gaze yet farther on;
For the signals, all around us,
Seem with one accord to say:
Christ is coming soon to bring us
Earth’s last, best Thanksgiving Day!
—A. B. Simpson