"The Great Thanksgiving Question"

 

“The Great Thanksgiving Question”

 

(This past April I began a series of the significant biblical questions surrounding the three most important annual celebrations observed by God’s people. “The Great Resurrection Question” is recorded in Luke 24:5: “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” During this month of special emphasis on gratitude we’ll explore “The Great Thanksgiving Question”: “How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?” (Psalm 116:12). Then Lord willing in December we’ll look at “The Great Christmas Question” raised in Matthew 2:2: “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?”)

The author of Psalm 116 isn’t identified in the heading but its content fits with experiences in David’s life. He often expressed his thanks to God for His blessings (e.g. Psalm 28:7; 30:12; 34:1) but he does so here with a question: “How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?” (Verse 12), He wasn’t specific in his answer but expresses appreciation for his salvation (Verse 13) as well as a pledge to keep the promises he made to God before witnesses (Verse 14). We as God’s people can say “Amen!” to his response but the door is left open for us to enumerate the ways He’s blessed us individually and humbly declare our gratitude. Recently our present pastor, Brian Stowe, shared with our church family that for several years his young adult daughter has kept a “Thanksgiving Book” in which she daily lists at least three things for which she appreciates God’s goodness to her. This is putting the words of an old hymn by Johnson Oatman, Jr. into practice: “Count your many blessings—name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.” Could God be leading us to keep such a record as well?

Andrae Crouch put it this way in his 1972 release “My Tribute”:

  “How can I say thanks for the things You have done for me? 

 Things so undeserved yet You gave to prove Your love for me.

 The voices of a million angels could not express my gratitude.

 All that I am or ever hope to be I owe it all to Thee.

 To God be the glory for the things He has done.

 With His blood He has saved me; with His power He has raised me.

 To God be the glory for the things He has done.”    

Let me never forget that it’s only “…by the grace of God I am what I am….” (1 Corinthians 15:10). If that doesn’t fill my heart with gratitude what will?

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan