How Can I Say Thanks

Gratitude begins with the personal question, “How can I say thanks?” Psalm 116 asks, “What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?” and makes clear that nobody can thank God for somebody else. God has brought each person through hard times, danger, sickness, and days that could have ended another way. Gratitude is not entitlement, luck, or a big head. Gratitude recognizes that goodness and mercy have followed every step.

Psalm 116 answers the question by calling for the cup of salvation, calling on the Lord’s name, paying vows, and offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving becomes a sacrifice when somebody does not feel like praising, but God still deserves all the praise. Praise should not wait for a favorite song or a perfect day. Praise belongs in the courts of God’s house and in the presence of His people.

God constantly gives blessings, brand new mercies, protection, health, peace, a sound mind, food, family, and another day. Job declares that those who obey and serve God spend their days in prosperity and their years in pleasure. Deuteronomy says that God’s Word must be laid up in the heart, taught to children, and kept before the eyes, so that life on earth can be “as the days of heaven upon the earth.” Prosperity does not require lobster every night. Collard greens, cornbread, enchiladas, peace at home, and a right mind can all testify that God has been good.

Deuteronomy 28 connects blessing with hearkening diligently to God’s voice. God blesses coming in and going out, the work of the hands, the basket and store, and makes His people the head and not the tail. Obedience becomes the real gift returned to the God who already owns everything.

Micah corrects the idea that God needs grand offerings, thousands of rams, rivers of oil, or impossible promises. God has already shown what He requires: “do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God.” Justice means doing what is right even when lying would be easier. Mercy means blessing people, forgiving quickly, and caring about somebody else’s trouble. Humility refuses to claim credit for what God has done, because God lifts up those who humble themselves before Him.

Psalm 103 seals the praise by remembering God’s benefits: He forgives iniquities, heals diseases, redeems life from destruction, crowns His children with lovingkindness and tender mercies, and satisfies their mouths with good things. Thanks becomes real through salvation, obedience, giving, faithful gathering, and getting busy in God’s house.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Gratitude is deeply personal Psalm 116 puts the question in personal terms: “What shall I render?” Nobody else knows every valley, close call, hospital room, or hard season God has brought another person through. Gratitude gets real when it stops sounding borrowed and starts coming from a heart that remembers. [17:04]
• 2. Thanksgiving is sometimes a sacrifice Thanksgiving is not limited to days when feelings are high and everything is going right. Psalm 116 calls it a sacrifice because praise can cost something when pain, fatigue, or disappointment tries to shut it down. God remains worthy when the heart has to choose praise on purpose. [20:25]
• 3. Obedience gives God what He wants God does not need impossible promises or dramatic gifts from people who will not obey His Word. Micah says God requires justice, mercy, and humility, which means daily character matters more than grand religious display. A life that does right, forgives freely, and stays humble says thanks in a way that heaven recognizes. [47:17]
• 4. Mercy blesses those who hurt Mercy refuses to make somebody else’s failure, pain, or offense an excuse for bitterness. God calls His people to bless even those they do not like, because mercy remembers how much mercy God has already given. Forgiveness does not call wrong right, but it refuses to let wrong rule the heart. [56:08]
• 5. God’s benefits must not be forgotten Psalm 103 calls the soul to remember forgiveness, healing, protection, lovingkindness, and tender mercies. A right mind, peace in the home, strength to get up, and life preserved from destruction are not small things. Remembrance keeps gratitude from becoming just a church phrase.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [15:32] - Grateful for One More Day
• [16:45] - How Can I Say Thanks?
• [19:21] - What Shall I Render Unto the Lord?
• [20:05] - The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving
• [28:26] - Prosperity, Pleasure, and Obedience
• [31:31] - Days of Heaven Upon Earth
• [36:33] - Blessed Through Diligent Obedience
• [42:01] - Paying Vows and Staying Faithful
• [46:19] - What the Lord Requires
• [50:21] - Do Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly
• [57:35] - Humble Yourself and God Lifts You
• [64:00] - Remember All His Benefits
• [66:02] - Serving God With Thanksgiving
• [69:50] - Invitation to Receive Christ

Bible Reading

Psalm 116:12-14, 17-19
“What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!” [19:30]

Micah 6:6-8
“With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” [46:19]

Psalm 103:1-5
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” [01:04:31]

Deuteronomy 28:1-2
“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God.” [36:33]

Job 36:10-11
“He opens their ears to instruction and commands that they return from iniquity. If they listen and serve him, they complete their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasantness.” [28:37]

Observation questions

1. In Psalm 116, what specific responses does the writer name after asking what can be rendered to the Lord for all His benefits?
2. What makes thanksgiving a “sacrifice” according to Psalm 116 and the message of this passage? [20:25]
3. In Micah 6:6-8, what large offerings are considered before God plainly states what He requires?
4. What benefits does Psalm 103 tell the soul not to forget, and which of those benefits stand out most in the passage? [01:04:31]

Interpretation questions

1. Psalm 116 does not describe a person trying to repay God with money or impressive gifts. Why do salvation, calling on the Lord, keeping vows, and public praise make fitting responses to God’s goodness? [40:17]
2. Job 36 and Deuteronomy 28 connect listening, serving, and obeying God with blessing. How should believers understand prosperity and pleasantness without reducing them to wealth, luxury, or getting everything they want? [29:27]
3. Micah says God requires justice, mercy, and humility. What would it look like for these three things to work together when a believer is dealing with an unfair situation or a difficult person? [50:21]
4. Psalm 103 calls people to remember forgiveness, healing, redemption, lovingkindness, and mercy. Why is forgetting God’s benefits dangerous for a believer’s attitude and worship?

Application questions

1. Gratitude is personal because each person knows the hard times, close calls, and seasons God has brought them through. What is one specific memory from your life that gives you a personal reason to thank God today? [17:14]
2. Thanksgiving can be a sacrifice when a person is tired, disappointed, hurting, or simply does not feel like praising. What does choosing praise look like for you on a hard day—not pretending the pain is not real, but still honoring God? [45:04]
3. God does not ask for impossible promises; He calls His people to do what is right. Is there a place at work, at home, in school, or in a relationship where telling the truth or doing right may cost you something? What would justice look like there? [55:02]
4. Loving mercy includes being quick to forgive and asking God to bless people who may have hurt or offended us. Is there someone you have been holding at a distance in your heart? What might it look like to begin praying for that person’s good? [56:06]
5. Walking humbly means refusing to take all the credit for what God has done. When you look at your family, health, work, home, abilities, or opportunities, where are you most tempted to say, “I did this,” instead of giving God thanks? [57:36]
6. Peace in the home, a sound mind, food to eat, strength to rise, and another day are all real blessings. Which everyday benefit have you been taking for granted, and how could you make a habit of thanking God for it this week? [01:00:31]
7. Gratitude is shown not only by words but also by obedience, faithful gathering, giving, and serving. What is one practical way you can get busy serving God’s people with the gifts, time, or strength God has given you? [01:07:09]