“I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” – Psalm 7:17

Martin Frobisher was born in 1535 in Altofts, Yorkshire, England. He apprenticed as a cabin boy in 1544, being skillful and a daring seaman, he steadily rose through the naval ranks. In 1565, Martin became a captain. In 1576, Frobisher was placed in command of an expedition to the New World in search of a Northwest Passage to the orient.

He set sail on June 7, 1576 with three small ships named: the Gabriel, the Michael, and a Pinnace. Soon the Pinnace was lost in a storm at sea. Thereafter, the crew of the Michael deserted him, leaving Frobisher to sail alone with the crew of the Gabriel.

In August, the Gabriel sighted the mouth of a bay, now that bay is known as Frobisher Bay, located on Baffin Island. Thankful for his safe arrival, Frobisher and the crew of the Gabriel celebrated a thanksgiving, the first celebration feast in the new world. Frobisher made two other attempts to find a Northwest Passsage in 1577 and 1578.

Today in Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October. Unlike the American tradition of remembering Pilgrims and settling in the New World, Canadians give thanks to the Lord for a successful harvest.

Thanksgiving shouldn’t be restricted to just one day a year. We should be giving thanks to God every day. Today in prayer, thank Christ for all that He has given to you.

“In your prayer, do not hesitate to thank the Lord for all that he gives. This is often difficult since we are not always willing to receive some of the “gifts” which make little sense to us. Yet all is a gift from God.” – Chris Aridas

God’s Word: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” – Psalm 107:1

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2004, Devotional E-Mail DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING pkennedy6@yahoo.com