Thanksgiving through tears: Your sacrifice becomes my thanksgiving

Is this a Thanksgiving through tears for you? One of deep loss and pain?

Our tears are in the tender care of the One who also wept in His loss. Beloved in Christ, our thanks-giving tears are offerings of trust to the One who understands.

In the United States, this week is a celebration of thanksgiving to God as a national holiday. It was originally far more than turkey and mashed potatoes, parades, and football. It was a celebration of God’s provision, a time of rejoicing in how He had carried His children into unknown places and helped them endure deep hardships, loss, grief, and suffering.

The hardships would continue, but they took a moment to thank God together, perhaps through tears of fresh loss. Their thanks-giving served as what I call a “praise interruption,” a moment to interrupt hard suffering with praise. 

In the midst of this hard week, let’s find specific gifts from the Lord, His gifts that forever endure, even in our earthly losses. Let’s thank Him through our tears, as an offering or sacrifice back to the One who bottles every tear of His children.

Could this traditional Thanksgiving hymn become our thanks-giving offering to sing through tears this year?

Lord, Your redeeming sacrifice becomes my thanksgiving

We praise you, O God, our Redeemer, Creator,
in grateful devotion our tribute we bring.

We lay it before you, we kneel and adore you;
we bless your holy name, glad praises we sing.

(“We Praise Thee, O God, our Redeemer, Creator,” Cory, J. C., 1902)

Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Eph. 5:2 ESV).

Your guidance and indwelling help become my thanksgiving

We worship you, God of our fathers, we bless you;
through life’s storm and tempest our Guide you have been.

When perils o’ertake us, escape you will make us,
and with your help, O Lord, our battles we win.

For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted (Heb. 12:18 ESV).

[Jesus said], But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me (Jn. 15:26 ESV).

Your strength and presence with me, as Your redeemed child in Christ, become my thanksgiving

With voices united our praises we offer,
to you, great Jehovah, glad anthems we raise.

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (Jn. 1:12 ESV).

Your strong arm will guide us, our God is beside us,
to you, our great Redeemer, forever be praise.

Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,

equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight,

through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen (Heb. 13:20-21).

A playlist of prayer-songs to offer to the Lord

Each week, I prayerfully curate a YouTube playlist of worship songs we can each sing to Him, singing of our hope in Christ as we suffer. I craft the playlists from my professional background as a music therapist, church music director, and music educator.

But they’re prayer-songs I’m offering to the Lord into my own suffering, borne from years of physical illness and pain. I know…it’s especially hard during holidays and that’s why I’m sharing them with you!

This week, the playlist is filled with honest prayer-songs of tear-stained thanks to God, for those of us who are struggling to find “thanksgiving words” this week. They’re an offering to the Lord, a gospel-centered “sacrifice of praise” to our Redeemer who gave Himself up for us as a sacrifice. Dear friend, He holds our tears this Thanksgiving. If this would bless you, sign up here and it will come to your email.

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