President George Manneh Weah showed his fear for, and belief in, God and His goodness when he, on November 1, 2018, led an array of government officials, foreign partners and ordinary Liberians in a worship service at the Providence Island.

The President had earlier issued a proclamation declaring the day a National Holiday, encouraging all Liberians, both urban and rural dwellers, to undertake appropriate religious rites that would invoke God’s blessings upon the nation and people.

While the rest of God-fearing Liberians and non-Liberians were observing the day elsewhere, President Weah was leading a thanksgiving service on the very spot settlers who created the Liberian state and modern government first disembarked from the United States of America.

The November 1 thanksgiving service was a colorful moment of hymns and prayers used by President George to call on the congregation and all Liberians to always acknowledge the goodness of God Almighty and demonstrate their humility, devotion and thankfulness to Him.

The President reflected on the Biblical teaching on thankfulness by Jesus Christ, when he cited Christ’s story about the 10 lepers, nine of which failed to return to show appreciation as recorded in Luke 17:11-19.

“Where are the nine; where are the nine?” the Liberian leader raised his voice in speech, and like Jesus, asking Liberians in a sense about their appreciation to the Lord Almighty as Jesus did in an inquiry about the whereabouts of 9 out of 10 lepers healed.

The fact that Liberians are no longer in refugee camps, displaced centers and seared by the stings of war but are sitting together on Thanksgiving Day should be a major reason why they need come to God, President Weah said in remarks at the occasion.

“Thanksgiving Day is not for a particular group of Liberians; it’s not for the Christians, Buddhists, Muslims and others; it is for everyone to thank God,” the said solemnly.

He said God would only move in situations confronting Liberians if they recognized and thanked God for the little he has given them, stressing, “We have be thankful to God always.”
Some 135 years ago, the Legislature declared in an Act that the first Thursday in November of every year be observed as a National Thanksgiving Day, to allow the nation come together, to thank and appreciate God for the country.

“There is a need for Liberians to always remember the good works of God for Liberia, including taking the country from to an ugly past to moments of peace, harmony and stability,” President Weah said.

He added: “We have to thank God for our lives. We are all former refugees and I am sure you know that. There came a time you were sitting under tent waiting for your name to be called when you didn’t have a room to sleep in. Today, we have come to thank God for the peace; we came here together to pray for our nation; to pray for our peace.”

The President called on faith-based organizations in the country to pray for the peace of Liberia, the peaceful elections that this government to power through the democratic process.
“We have come to say thanks to God and he is watching us,” he noted further. “I pray that he keeps us united and strong, because we don’t want to go back to refugee camps again. Our generation is blessed this is why we are here today to celebrate this day as a nation and as a people”.

President Weah also used the gathering to accentuate his commitment to religious tolerance which he said is one of the surest ways to keep the torch of peace and success shining in Liberia.

President Weah reiterated that his government was interested in rebuilding Liberia, with emphasis on road connectivity, stressing “there is no reason for citizens to engage violent acts but that they should help maintain and sustain the peace.”

Earlier, Bishop J. Allen Klayee of the Jubilee Praise and Worship Center, who delivered the day’s message, said past leaders saw the need to invite God’s intervention and protection because of external invasions the country was faced with.

Bishop Klayee urged all officials of government, citizens of Liberia and foreign partners to show gratitude to God for what they have and to stop casting blames on others for what he call “things that you have no solution for.”

He said most Liberians were ungrateful to God for the ‘little’ he has blessed them with. “It is the matter of gratitude and not of protocol in reaching God’s promises when you show gratitude and appreciation for his greatness,” he said.