“Thank You God”
By Dianne Prince
“What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people” (Psalm 116:12-14).
The Psalmist asks himself a question this morning. He asks, “What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me?” (Psalm 116:12) And He answers himself, “I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.” (Psalm 116:13-14) In other words, the Psalmist says to thank God, he will do what He promised God He will do. He will live the way God says he should live. And he will give of his time, his energy, and his means in order to move God’s program forward.
God does something good for each of us every second of the day. He supplies us air to breathe. He orchestrates the motion of our limbs. He regulates our reasoning ability. He protects us during our going out and coming in, and He shields us from the forces of evil. God protects our aging loved ones no matter how near or how far they are. He looks out for the youngest of our family members as they innocently flirt with danger. And, God times things just right so we can avoid certain hazards as we drive along the dangerous highways.
What can we give back to a God who owns everything? How do we say thank you to God for all the spiritual and material blessings he has poured into our lives? How do we say thank you to Him for always helping us out of a tight spot? In our scripture this morning, the Psalmist gives us three ways we can say thank you to God today. 1) The first way to say thank you to God is by giving Him praise when He least expects it. A “thank you” in the middle of our adverse situation will please God and make Him smile. 2) Say thank you to God today by being a positive witness in the presence of all His people. On-lookers watch what we do, listen for what we say, and observe how we act and react. 3) The third way to say thank you to God is by going the extra mile to help someone when we do not feel like it.
Today, make an intentional effort to say thank you to God through your actions. How? Be a good example. Reach out and help someone. And praise your way through negative situations.
