Category: Overwhelmed With Thanksgiving

Let’s read aloud Palm 105:1-5 and Ephesians 5:1-2, 4:

Palm 105:1-5 (NIV)
Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
Let the whole world know what he has done.
² Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
³ Exult in his holy name;
rejoice, you who worship the Lord.
⁴ Search for the Lord and for his strength;
continually seek him.
⁵ Remember the wonders he has performed,
his miracles, and the rulings he has given…

Ephesians 5:1-2, 4 (NIV/NLT)
“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children ² and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God…let there be thankfulness to God.”

Thanksgiving “speaks” to the heart and into our circumstances with an unwavering trust in God and his overwhelming grace for us to flourish and persevere in life for his glory, and thus our good. In the midst of life’s challenges and struggles, we are invited to be overwhelmed by what we know and experience about God in such deep and profound ways that we are changed and overflow with deep gratitude toward Him and joyful grace toward those around us.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your wonderful deeds, past, present and more to come! We proclaim your greatness today and exult in your holy name. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship by singing the song, “Your Love Awakens Me” by Phil Wickham. (Click here)

– TR

 

Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV) – Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

With thanksgiving in every situation, we are drawing upon God’s nearness and presence to know him for who he is and all that he does. In thanksgiving we can fully want what God desires to be what is done in the midst of our overwhelming moments. And the Lord’s nearness becomes for us a tangible assurance that the overwhelming majesty of God and his reign is the overwhelming reality for the circumstance or situation we are dealing with or facing.

We are empowered by the Spirit to respond to these moments from a heart overwhelmed with thankfulness to the Lord. It’s in, by, and through the Spirit that we can be thankful and live with thanksgiving in all circumstances.

Prayer: Our Father, thank you for the Holy Spirit’s empowering presence! We humbly ask for the filling of the Spirit today to live thankful and faithful in all that we do. In every situation, by the Spirit, in the Spirit, and through the Spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship by singing the song, “Open The Gates” by Vertical Worship. (Click here)

– TR

Ephesians 5:18-20 (NIV) – Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“It [thanksgiving] is a humble acceptance that enables us to truly grasp God’s overwhelming presence and concern for us in those moments. And therefore to have a grateful heart and express that gratitude to Him, confidently and willingly trusting in His sovereignty.” [Karen McMahon, When It’s Hard To Be Thankful]

To be “always giving thanks” and “in all circumstances” is to recognize God’s detailed control of your life and align or join him in his resolution. Being overwhelmed with God fills our hearts with faith and assurance about God and what he can do. It positions us to respond in faith, to speak and live into the overwhelming circumstance about God’s sovereignty and power at work as opposed to the “self-talk” and trying to convince ourselves of perceived outcomes and scenarios.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your amazing grace! in everything, in every detail, in every desire, and in every activity be supreme and be glorified. For the overwhelming moments today, overwhelm me with your presence and grace so that I remain faithful to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship by singing the song, “Behold (Then Sings My Soul)” by Hillsong. (Click here)

– TR

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, 23-24 (NIV) – “Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
²³ May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”

“Pauline thanksgiving points to an active and living God who will continue to work among his people. With the recognition of the sovereignty of God, we can also present all our daily needs to God since he is the Lord of all. The call to offer thanksgiving in all circumstances is therefore a call to submit all under the Lordship of Christ.” [David Pao, Thanksgiving, p. 107-108]

In thanksgiving we are responding to the overwhelming reality of the Lordship and reign of Christ over all of life, and trusting him as we walk with him as Lord in those moments. We are acknowledging God’s reign, his Lordship and care over our lives and entering to live with that reality as central to our responses.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for Jesus! We humbly turn to you today acknowledging your Lordship over our lives and in every circumstance. Empower us to revere you above all situations so your glory is revealed in us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship by singing the song, “Thank You Jesus” by Hillsong. (Click Here)

– TR

Let’s read aloud together the following Scripture and prayer:

Psalm 95:1-7a (NIV)

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
    let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
² Let us come before him with thanksgiving
    and extol him with music and song.

³ For the Lord is the great God,
    the great King above all gods.
⁴ In his hand are the depths of the earth,
    and the mountain peaks belong to him.
⁵ The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.

⁶ Come, let us bow down in worship,
    let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
⁷ for he is our God
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    the flock under his care.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,
help us to honor your name.
May your kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us for doing wrong,
as we forgive others.
Keep us from being tempted
and protect us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours.
Now and for ever.
Amen.

Let’s worship by singing the song, “My Heart Is Overwhelmed” by Hillsong. (Click Here)

– TR