By Daniel Obaje
Rev. Tom Takpatore, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Garki, Abuja, has urged Nigerians to embrace thanksgiving as a daily lifestyle, saying gratitude to God remains essential in spite of challenges.
Takpatore said this during the church’s Mid-Year Thanksgiving Service, where members reflected on God’s faithfulness in the first half of 2026 and offered prayers for the nation.
According to him, thanksgiving is not reserved for seasons of abundance but should become a habit for everyone who recognises God’s goodness.
“Thanksgiving is something that anyone who thinks deeply should do and have as a daily habit. At some point it is good to pause and count your blessings.
“We are pausing at the middle of the year to remind ourselves that God expects us to be thankful people, thankful for the little graces and the great blessings of life.
“Indeed, God has been faithful to us. Some of us have gone through difficulties, but God in His mercy has not allowed those difficulties to consume or overwhelm us.”
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Men’s Missionary Union (MMU), Mr Augustine Beguwa, urged Nigerians not to lose hope, stressing that the nation’s present challenges would give way to better days.
“As a nation, everyone has to appreciate God, no matter the situation, God has demonstrated how faithful he is.
“We know we are passing through economic hardship, but God is still faithful. Every day you wake up and see food on your table, you need to appreciate Him.
“Nigerians should continue to trust God because this nation will turn around for the better.
“No matter the difficulties we are facing today, as we keep praying and looking unto God, we are heading towards the best by His grace,” he said.
Beguwa also called on citizens to remain patient and continually pray for leaders, expressing confidence that insecurity and other national challenges would soon become things of the past.
The Chairman of the Diaconate, Mr Bassey Offiong, described the thanksgiving service as an opportunity for believers to pause and appreciate God’s faithfulness while looking forward to a brighter future.
“The message to every Nigerian is one of hope; better days are ahead, Nigeria will not always remain the way it is today.
“Nobody should give up because God still has great things in store for His children,” he said.
The pastor’s wife, Mrs Adenike Takpatore, encouraged mothers and families to make gratitude a way of life, saying the gift of life alone is enough reason to thank God.
“The fact that we are alive is enough for us to say, God we are grateful.
“Every day I see people battling strange illnesses, while some do not have the resources to care for themselves, yet God has preserved many of us.”
Also, Mrs Abiola Ojo, the Leader of the Women Missionary Union, said the family remained the foundation of every successful nation, urging mothers to intentionally raise children with sound moral and spiritual values.
“If any nation will stand, it starts from the home, most of the challenges we are experiencing today began from the home.
“We need to return to the values that our mothers of old passed on to us because there appears to be a disconnect between the home and what we see in society today.”(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Funmilayo Adeyemi