How do we properly respond to a God who has been so good to us? The purpose of this psalm appears to be simply to answer the question posed in verse 12, “What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me?”The answer begins even before the question has been stated.
We respond by accepting his goodness. We accept what he has given and continue to call on him, as the opening of the psalm indicates. I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. 2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live).
In life, we sometimes avoid going back to those who have helped us in the past — afraid of wearing out our welcome. But the Lord is pleased that we continue to express our dependence on him.
We respond by living in his presence. As is stated in verse nine,“I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.”
How aware are we on a daily basis of living in his presence? What difference would it make if we became more aware of his presence each day?
We respond by praising him or perhaps by returning to him repeatedly for fresh forgiveness. In verse thirteen the psalmist says,“I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.” What does it mean to lift up the cup of salvation?Does it mean to praise him for saving us? Or does it mean to go to him repeatedly for salvation? Is the phrase intentionally left vague?The second half of the verse is also vague but seems to point toward a repetition of the statement of verse 2 — we honour him by continuing to go to him for salvation.But both meanings may be present.
We respond by offering thanks. Whatever verse 13 means, verses 17-19 certainly indicate that praise and thankfulness are proper responses to God’s goodness. I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord. 18 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!
The goal of the Christian life, the goal of evangelism, the goal of the church, is the praise of God.We evangelize anyone who has not realized his grace and is not therefore praising him.We edify those who are praising him that they might praise him better.
We praise him, in part, by recounting what he has done for us, as is shown in this psalm.We cannot advance ourselves and honour him at the same time. If we claim merit, we do so at the cost of his glory.Instead of claiming merit, we must recognize ourselves as:The simple (6) and asmere servants (16).
The question we must all ask ourselves is, “What have I been rendering to the Lord?”