"To thank his God for sorrow..."

Psalm 118: 1 "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever."

I know we normally do contemplative poems for devotions on Friday, but we're gonna mix it up this week in honor of Thanksgiving. Here are the last two stanzas of a moderately lengthy Thanksgiving poem. To read the entire thing, go here.

Thanksgiving

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Full many a blessing wears the guise
   Of worry or of trouble;
Far-seeing is the soul, and wise,
   Who knows the mask is double.
But he who has the faith and strength
   To thank his God for sorrow
Has found a joy without alloy
   To gladden every morrow.

We ought to make the moments notes
   Of happy, glad Thanksgiving;
The hours and days a silent phrase
   Of music we are living.
And so the theme should swell and grow
   As weeks and months pass o’er us,
And rise sublime at this good time,
   A grand Thanksgiving chorus.