The Dimensions of Gratitude

"You have answered me. I will declare Your name to my brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and fear Him all you offspring of Israel! For He has not abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from him; but when he cried to Him, He heard."
Psalm 22: 21b-24

Maybe this has happened to you before - Someone asks you to do a favor for them that more or less calls you out of your way, or somewhat inconveniences you, but you do it anyways (even with a cheerful smile on your face) because you want to be kind. Then when you're done and you see this person again, not a word of thanks - it's like you never did them a favor at all - or (perhaps even worse) you get a thank you, but it's really one of those over the top, syrupy, insincere thanks... like they expected you to do it all along anyways.

Now I'm not saying that the reason you do something kind for someone is in order to be thanked, but receiving a genuine thanksgiving is a real treat.

Psalm 22 is a really interesting Psalm that displays for us the shape and dimensions of thanksgiving. The first half of the psalm (up until verse 21) consists of David praying to God in lament, and asking to be delivered from his suffering. Some psalms (like some of our prayers) would end right there with a hurtful cry to God for relief...but not this one. "You have answered me," says David to God. The remainder of the psalm turns into a psalm of thanksgiving for answered prayer - after David had his prayer answered, he thanked God for it. I think his joyful response to God gives us an idea about what thanking God looks like.

Declare Your name - David declared God's name to his brethren. Specifically, he shared with all who listen and likely even those who would not, how God had answered his prayer. David excitedly told his story of God's gracious deliverance. One way my kids show me thanks for a great gift they get at Christmas is to hear them tell everyone what it was they received. We need to declare the Name of God with excitement to all within earshot, as a testimony of His deliverance in our life.

Praise and Glorify Him - David showed his thanksgiving by worshipping God. In the context of a worship service (in the midst of the assembly) and in his daily comings and goings as a descendant of Jacob he praised and glorified God. His life was lived in worship to God, singing with his lips and with his actions the greatness of God. We need to praise and glorify God every moment of our lives as well.

Fear Him -To fear God is to obey His commandments. Obedience is not merely dutiful service, but truly an exercise in thanksgiving. Obeying God's commands is not burdensome, or a chore, rather the pinnacle of our gratitude. We need to give thanks to God through obedience.

I often take the kindness, mercy and answered prayer of our LORD for granted. All too often I am the one who doesn't finish the psalm, or give a word of thanks, or...even worse, I am the one who offers up a token "thank you" out of a sense of entitlement. God does not need our thanksgiving...but He certainly deserves it.

May we live lives of thanksgiving to God by declaring His name, praising and glorifying Him, and fearing Him in gracious obedience.

Be God's, Scott