Thanksgiving

https://odb.org/2025/10/13/gratitude-gathering

1 Chronicles 16:8–14 (NIV): 8 Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done. 9 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts. 10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. 11 Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. 12 Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, 13 you his servants, the descendants of Israel, his chosen ones, the children of Jacob. 14 He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.

We don’t have a national tradition of thanksgiving in our nation like a festival or holiday, but as believers, thanksgiving is usually present in our lives. For example, one of the things we learned in leading worship over the years is the element of thanksgiving. So, we are taught to follow a certain sequence for our selection of worship songs, and broadly, it is as follows:

• Intro song
• Praise
• Thanksgiving
• Corporate worship/adoration
• Personal worship/self reflection
• Closing song/benediction

In terms of keys, for guys, we usually prefer F, G, or A, but it is better to interpose another set of keys like C, D or E or even Bb or Eb in between our favourite song key so that there is a variety of tones for the 5 to 6 worship songs (number of songs depends on time allocated). Timing wise, it is usually faster at the start and moderate or slower throughout. The personal worship element is crucial to allow the congregation some personal “facetime” with the Lord as we worship in the spirit. But the part on thanksgiving is equally necessary, so we always remember and proclaim His goodness in our lives. Some worship leaders structure their songs thematically, but I usually don’t. For me, what’s more important is that the songs touch me or else I’ll have difficulty leading with them. Thus, my underlying theme is usually glorifying God or Christ.

Besides worship, whether corporately or in our own quiet time, we can have an attitude of thanksgiving such that whenever we receive something like a blessing or an answered prayer or we get to show grace or bless someone, we thank the Lord. Make thanking God and having a genuine gratefulness second nature. It keeps us humble and grounded as even our very existence is God-given. For instance, to live optimally, our body needs to beat at a certain heart rate, and our oxygen intake and blood pressure levels must be just right. Any one of our bodily systems goes out of whack, and we may potentially have a serious medical situation.

Have a good week ahead – be thankful as God preserves, protects and blesses us, and it is my prayer for everyone (myself included) that we will live in the centre of His will, in our spiritual life and at work! Amen!