Called to an Attitude of Gratitude Toward the Lord

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and let all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of his benefits. He is the one who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your… who rescues your life from the pit, who crowns you with favor and mercy, who satisfies your mouth with good things so that you are renewed like the eagle.

The psalmist David’s call to adopt a posture of thankfulness and gratitude to the Lord, acknowledging all the blessings we receive from his hand day after day. The Lord calls us always to that posture of gratitude toward him. One of the distinguishing marks of a mature child of God should be precisely gratitude and praise—continually thanking the Lord for his blessings and for everything he does for us day after day.

Praising the Lord is not optional; it is not something we do depending on whether we want to or not. I believe that praise and gratitude to the Lord should be something we practice as a discipline. Just as there is prayer, the reading of the Word, and other things, I believe that thanking the Lord should also be a practice we carry out, like eating or bathing or anything else.

I believe that this is something we must cultivate. Praising the Lord is not something you do only when you feel like doing it. It is something one must do because worship and praise are among the things that strengthen us and draw us closer to the Lord; they are a weapon of warfare.

Worship accomplishes many things, and when we recognize its value, we practice it because it is necessary. Praise is a weapon of warfare. We think, for example, of Paul and Silas imprisoned in Philippi: they are bleeding, they have been beaten, and they are going through what we might almost call a moment of defeat. At that moment, Paul and Silas begin to worship the Lord and sing hymns.

I imagine they did not feel like worshiping at that moment. Perhaps one of us would have felt—I would have felt—something like, “Lord, goodness, I was preaching your Word and serving you, and look where you have put me!” Nevertheless, Paul and Silas decide to worship the Lord, and the Word says that at that moment the chains fell from their bodies. And it says there was such a powerful earthquake in the prison that the cell doors were left open, I imagine. It says the jailer was filled with panic and was about to kill himself because he knew what awaited, in the Roman Empire, a soldier who allowed his prisoners to escape. Suddenly Paul and Silas, who at that instant were the victims, become the defenders, because Paul approaches the jailer and says to him, “Do not kill yourself; do not commit suicide. We are all here.” Touched by the power of God, this man humbles himself, acknowledges the mighty God who performed that tremendous miracle, and asks Paul what he must do to be saved. He turns to the Lord, and that very day, that very night, Paul and Silas baptize him along with his entire household.

What a tremendous change praise brought about. I imagine that this aspect of spiritual warfare was what neutralized the enemy’s opposition to the proclamation of the Word of God. It was what caused the chains that prevented these men from moving to break, leaving them free to do the Lord’s work.

So we see that worship and praise amid great trials and tribulations can completely change our situation and turn a moment of tribulation and limitation into a moment of opportunity for what God wants to do in our lives.

And that is why we must praise the name of the Lord at every moment and on every occasion. I rejoice that on a night like this, when we ask for words of gratitude, the church bursts forth in prayers and expressions of thanksgiving and the time runs long. And that is beautiful, because it means that God is doing something among us. Our hearts are tender toward the Lord, and that prayer of praise springs spontaneously and freely from our hearts, and God is pleased with that.

I believe that, of all things, one of the things for which I always thank the Lord is that thus far—and we give glory to the Lord for this—our church is a church of praise, and we know how to enter into that spirit of worship. May that never be lost, brothers and sisters. May our congregation always be a place where we can worship the name of the Lord with complete ease and complete freedom. That is something that greatly pleases God.

And another thing I see about worship is that it strengthens our faith. When we mention the things God has done, what we are doing is reinforcing our confidence in him and saying, “The same God who brought me out of this situation, who brought me out of that situation, is faithful to bring me out once again.”

That is why, so many times in the Scriptures, I see the psalmist pointing out, reinforcing, and taking time to mention again and again the things God has done in his life, because he knows the importance of specifically pointing out the things the Lord has done.

In Psalm 105, for example, I see how the psalmist David mentions again and again all the things God did throughout Israel’s history. It says, “Praise the LORD, call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples. Sing psalms to him; speak of all his wonders. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his face continually. Remember the wonders he has done, his marvels, and the judgments of his mouth. O offspring of Abraham, his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones.”

How beautiful that passage is, where the psalmist is emphasizing its importance. It is a call to worship and praise. We must never rush through worship in a service. We must take time and pause; we must sing psalms to the Lord and speak of his wonders. Wherever we may be, we must get into the habit—if you have an opportunity—of pointing out to an unbeliever something God has done in your life.

You know what? Many times, people are not willing to listen to a conceptual presentation of the Gospel. Many people do not have the patience for theology, for you to give them a three-point message, or for you to offer them an apologetic argument about why they must believe in God. But when you tell people what God has done in your life, that touches their hearts and makes a difference.

That is why it says that we must make his deeds known among the peoples and speak of all his wonders. No one can contradict a person’s testimony about what God has done. It is like what you were doing here tonight. When you speak of the God who brought you out of the pit of depression, when you speak of the God who brought you through a loss and the pain and sorrow it brings into your life, when you speak of the Lord who brought you out of a life of sinfulness and disobedience and how he turned your mourning into dancing, as the psalmist says—brothers and sisters, that is irrefutable.

All people can do is listen to you and allow themselves to be touched by what you are saying. And the Lord is intensely pleased by those moments when we share with others what God has done. There is something in God’s heart that delights in praise; he is pleased when we point out what he has done, because God is an artist, and God likes what artists like…

I believe that if artists in the world create and present their talents in one way or another, it is because God has placed in the human heart that same desire which exists in his own heart, although to a lesser degree: the desire to be praised. But I believe what happens is that, because we reflect the heart of God, since God created us in his image and likeness, every human being has the desire to hear that they have done things well.

A father likes it when his children point out the good things he has done for them and the attributes he possesses, and a mother likes the same from her children. It is not because the father or mother somehow requires it or is proud; no, it is because within us is the desire to know that we are doing things well and that the people we serve appreciate what we do.

When an artist creates, why does the artist display those works in a museum or exhibition? It is because the artist wants to share that art and enjoys it when people say, “Wow, what a beautiful painting!” Or, “What a beautiful dance,” or, “What a beautiful number that person sang,” or, “What a beautiful film that individual made.” And there is an inherent satisfaction that goes beyond money, beyond the material comforts that art provides.

And likewise with God: God created this world and all the details of this wonderful creation, and in his heart he takes pleasure in it. Indeed, he created the world so that we would glorify and praise him. It exists for his glory and honor. That is why he created everything he has created.

We are simply the instrument he created so that he might be glorified and praised. And when a man or woman decides to give glory to the Lord through their life, when they decide to live a life of gratitude and praise to the Lord, I believe that at that moment they are entering into their true reason for being. At that moment, they are fulfilling their destiny as a human being.

Everything else one does in the world is beautiful and pleasant and everything, but our entire life should be something that brings glory and honor to the Lord. And we must understand this: when a man or woman does not live for the glory of God, and their heart has not fundamentally been broken and offered up as a burnt offering for the glory of the Lord, then that person is still not truly human. One becomes truly human when a man or woman understands, “I was created for the Lord’s delight.”

Creation was brought forth so that the Lord could look upon it and take pleasure in it. And that is why we must understand that the first thing we should give the Lord is not money or good works. All those things are very good, but the first thing we must give the Lord is gratitude, praise, worship, and expressions of how good he is to us.

Every morning we should begin by giving thanks to the Lord. Before asking God for anything—before asking God, “Give me this, help me today, protect me when I go out into the street, help us finish the new sanctuary,” or whatever it may be—the first thing I always do as a discipline is say, “Lord, I praise you, I bless you. Thank you for this day; thank you for last night’s sleep; thank you for the stillness of the morning; thank you for this coffee I am drinking; thank you for the health you give me so I can enjoy it.” And you begin—brothers and sisters, if you begin at any given moment and look around you, you can start thanking the Lord perhaps for the chair on which you are sitting and how comfortable it is. You can thank him for the warmth of your home in the middle of winter, when you look out the window and see the rain pouring down or the snow falling, while you are snug and warm inside your house with your hot chocolate in your hand. You give thanks to the Lord.

You thank him for the health of your body, which enables you to enjoy the sweetness of the drink you are having. Listen, you even begin with the hand that holds the cup and is able to do so. There are people who cannot do that, brothers and sisters. There are people who do not even have hands with which to hold a cup. And you continue: the soft woolen pajamas that cuddle you and keep you warm, the comfortable house or home, your children or loved ones sleeping in another part of the apartment or wherever—and on and on and on.

And you discover that there are so many things for which you can give thanks… your breathing, the sight with which you are looking at that moment, your brain coordinating the thoughts you are expressing through your mouth. We can give thanks to the Lord, and we could spend the entire prayer simply thanking the Lord—and the Lord is pleased with that, you know?

And gratitude—thanksgiving—is the healthiest thing a person can practice. Instead of complaining, let us give thanks to the Lord. I know that many times we feel downcast and sad, and there are also many things that can make us sad. But many times, instead of reciting a litany of all the bad things in our lives, let us first give thanks to the Lord and be grateful for the good things.

Then afterward, yes, we can bring our petitions before God and present to him, with thanksgiving, the things we need. It says, “Do not be anxious or troubled about anything, but rather,” it says, “present your petitions before the Lord with thanksgiving.”

Our prayers should always be, as it were, cushioned and wrapped in words of gratitude. And then, farther on, that passage says, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts, thoughts, and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

When you are grateful, when you give thanks to the Lord, then the peace of God envelops your life, because the expression of gratitude is a mental massage that we give to our mind and our heart.

I believe that when we give thanks to the Lord... serotonin is a chemical produced naturally by the human body, and it creates a sense of well-being. The body produces that serotonin, for example, when you are caressing a baby, caressing your wife or a loved one, watching a beautiful sunset, reading a good book, or drinking something you enjoy; the body produces that chemical, and it is what creates that sense of well-being you feel.

I believe that happens when we please the Lord, when we thank the Lord for the good things He has done in our lives. That generates that kind of chemical, and then you do not have to go and take a drug or anything, because you will feel it naturally. And when you started out depressed and sad, little by little your sadness, your displeasure, turns into joy. “You have turned my mourning into dancing,” says the Word of the Lord.

“You clothed me with joy.” So there are so many things, but tonight, when we are there celebrating in one way or another and eating our meal, let us always remember that Thanksgiving is every day of the year. Today, it is indeed beautiful when a nation decides to do this, and I do not know how much longer this nation will continue to do so; one of these days they are even going to file a lawsuit against a federal government department for giving thanks to God, because it is an offense against atheists. Do not laugh; it may happen one of these days.

We are heading in that direction. But thank God, no one can take the song from your mouth. No one will ever be able to take away our right or our joy to praise the Lord and express our gratitude every day. Make your life a life of gratitude and praise.

I leave you with this passage, and then we will be dismissed. Ephesians 5:18 says, “Do not get drunk with wine, which leads to disorder, but rather be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and praising the Lord in your hearts, always giving thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Always giving thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

That is the call for us, brothers and sisters, today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and on Monday, when we resume our normal work. Instead of seeking artificial substances—as it says, “Do not get drunk with wine”—you know what? We are going to get drunk on gratitude in our hearts. We are going to produce that same effect of joy and intoxication simply by worshiping and praising the Lord, living a life of gratitude and expressing thanks every day of our lives. Amen.

May our church and our community always be a church of worship, praise, and gratitude to the Lord. We have such a good God, and this year we have so many things for which we can thank the Lord. Amen. May the Lord bless you, and may His peace always be with each one of us.

Father, we worship You, Lord. Thank You for Your love; thank You for Your goodness; thank You for Your wonders; thank You that we can be in Your house tonight. How good You are, Father. We are like a representative group from this congregation, Father; we have decided to come to Your house, Lord, on behalf of our brothers and sisters and express our gratitude to You. Thank You for all the praise that has risen here among Your sons and daughters tonight, Father. I know that this pleases You. May our homes always be filled with happiness and joy, and may this church never lack, Lord, a spirit of praise. We worship You and bless You. Thank You, Lord. Amen and amen.