4 Ways We Can Express Gratitude To God
Have you ever felt like a “thank you” to God comes up short of expressing your true appreciation for everything the Lord has done for you?
If we look at 1 Chronicles 16, specifically verses 8-36, we find “David’s Song of Praise,” which provides a great framework we can use to show God how thankful we really are.
8 Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
Let the whole world know what he has done.
9 Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
10 Exult in his holy name;
rejoice, you who worship the Lord.
11 Search for the Lord and for his strength;
continually seek him.
12 Remember the wonders he has performed,
his miracles, and the rulings he has given,
13 you children of his servant Israel,
you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.
14 He is the Lord our God.
His justice is seen throughout the land.
15 Remember his covenant forever—
the commitment he made to a thousand generations.
16 This is the covenant he made with Abraham
and the oath he swore to Isaac.
17 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
and to the people of Israel as a never-ending covenant:
18 “I will give you the land of Canaan
as your special possession.”
19 He said this when you were few in number,
a tiny group of strangers in Canaan.
20 They wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.
21 Yet he did not let anyone oppress them.
He warned kings on their behalf:
22 “Do not touch my chosen people,
and do not hurt my prophets.”
23 Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!
Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.
24 Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.
Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.
25 Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
He is to be feared above all gods.
26 The gods of other nations are mere idols,
but the Lord made the heavens!
27 Honor and majesty surround him;
strength and joy fill his dwelling.
28 O nations of the world, recognize the Lord,
recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong.
29 Give to the Lord the glory he deserves!
Bring your offering and come into his presence.
Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor.
30 Let all the earth tremble before him.
The world stands firm and cannot be shaken.
31 Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice!
Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
32 Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!
Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy!
33 Let the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
35 Cry out, “Save us, O God of our salvation!
Gather and rescue us from among the nations,
so we can thank your holy name
and rejoice and praise you.”
36 Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
who lives from everlasting to everlasting!
And all the people shouted “Amen!” and praised the Lord.
This passage of Scripture shows us four ways that we can express our gratitude to God.
- Remember what the Lord has done and all the times He made a way when it felt like there was no way.
- Tell others about it. When God provides for us, we should brag about Him! We never know when God might be using our answered prayers to answer prayers for another one of His children.
- Share the Gospel. A great way to show God our thanks is to be obedient to His call for all believers to share His life-saving message. As followers of Jesus Christ, we have the cure to death. Let’s get out there and share it!
- Offer yourself as a living sacrifice. We can give God our time, our energy, and our resources. He is delighted when we give back to Him, no matter how big or small.
When we stop for a moment to look around and realize all God has done for us, how can we not stop to praise Him? How can we not feel compelled to tell others about His great and mighty deeds from long ago and now? How can we not share the love of Christ with all we meet? How can we not want to offer ourselves to the Lord? Let’s sing it out, let’s shout it out, and let’s praise the Lord!
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