Thankfulness: How a grateful heart is pleasing unto the Lord.

Posted On February 4, 2022

How wonderful to know that God is not silent and that He reveals Himself to us through His Word when we seek Him with a sincere and earnest heart. (Jeremiah 29:13) An even greater thought is the fact that we can know God and that we are known by God when we follow His Word in faithful obedience. Yet, we need to realise that knowing God is different from comprehending God. God, in His goodness and faithfulness makes Himself known to us, but we can never, ever comprehend God. Our human thought and minds are far too small and incapable of even trying to comprehend the infinite magnitude and glory of God.

He is our Creator and Sustainer – of everyone and everything. He is eternal, He is infinite, He is unchangeable in His power and His perfection, in His goodness and glory, in His wisdom, justice, and His truth. – NCC

That being said, it’s important to be continuously vigilant against worshiping God without reverence (deep and complete respect) and worshiping Him apart from what and who He reveals Himself to be according to His Word – from Genesis to Revelation. Therefore, we need to acknowledge our dependence on not only God, but also His divinely inspired Word, through which He reveals Himself to us by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in order to know and worship Him as He calls us to do.

For this study I want you to open in the book of Psalm chapter 50, where we will be studying together and see how a heart of thanksgiving and praise are pleasing to God.

We can divide Psalm 50 into two parts. The first Psalm 50:1-15 and the second Psalm 50:16-23. These two parts of Psalms are addressing two different groups of people. The first specifically addresses Israel, whereas the second is addressing people acting in disobedience and wickedness.

Psalm 50:1-15

God is revealing His glory and supremacy from Psalm 50:7-13 in that He is reminding Israel that He is God: He is above all and before all. All is God’s and all belongs to God. He needs nothing and has absolutely everything at His disposal. But, what He wants is a true and grateful heart.

Psalm 69:30-32

I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs. The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God.

As we look to the first part of Psalm 50 we read of Israel seemingly doing everything right and yet God brings a charge against them. Yes, they are acting in obedience towards God and His Word, but we see that the state of their heart comes up empty from the deed it supposedly flows from. God acknowledges their sacrifices and yet He speaks out against their performance of their offerings. We see in all their actions of giving unto the Lord that which truly pleases Him is a heart of thankfulness and that their deeds should flow from a state of thanksgiving! (Psalm 50:14)

Thanksgiving implies the receiving of something, expressing adoration and veneration. The Israelites had forgotten this. And God, in His goodness reminds them that He is their deliverance and salvation, but it takes thankfulness on their part. In whatever we say, do or think, our life should also be a reflection of a thankful, humble and a contrite heart.

We are also reminded that although we might be busy with the things of the Lord – serving others, praying for others and or carrying the burdens of our brothers and sisters, however good it might be, we can do it with a wrong state of heart. Missing the blessing we have of being able to serve in Jesus, as His bondservant! It’s vital that we remain vigilant in Jesus Christ, examining our hearts and minds in dependence of the Holy Spirit to serve God with a Christ-centered heart and with thanksgiving.

Psalm 50:16-23

In the second part of Psalm 50 God also speaks out against the people who has forgotten God and His Word – acting in disobedience contrary to their call in the Lord, contrary to God’s instruction. They accept God’s silence as approval and continue in their sinful nature without repentance. They are rebuked for numerous things, which specifically I would like to highlight the fact that they thought that God is like them:

Psalm 50:21

These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.

They’ve forgotten Who God was, Who He still is today!

He is God Who measures the waters in the hollow of His hand, Who measures the heavens with a span and comprehends all the dust of the earth in a measure. He is God that weighs the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance, Who needs no direction and no counsel. (Isaiah 40:12-13) He is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent! By the word of the Lord the heavens are made and the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap! (Psalm 30: 7-9) Mountains quake and lightning flashes, thunder sounds and trumpets blasts in the presence of God. (Exodus 19:18-19) He is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last! He is gloriously perfect in strength and in power. The Creator and Ruler of everything and all. He is the Sustainer of heaven and earth, and all that fills it, He is before all and in Him all things consist. Without Him, nothing is or can be. (Colossians 1:16-17) God is perfect in all His ways, in righteousness and truth, in justice and goodness, in love and in mercy, in wisdom and knowledge, in might and fullness – God is holy! (Isaiah 6:3)

And just as the people are addressed in Psalm 50:16-23, we need to realise God deserves ALL praise and ALL glory. We need to worship Him not in hollowness but in holy fear and in reverence, because He is God!

In conclusion, we firstly need to ask ourselves with sincere truthfulness the following:

Does our walk and our talk reflect a heart of thankfulness in the Lord Jesus Christ? Does our prayers resound with a voice of gratitude? Most importantly, do we worship, serve and love God with a heart of thanksgiving?

Colossians 2:6-7

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Philippians 4:6-7

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Psalm 136:1-3

O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks unto the God of gods: for His mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for His mercy endureth for ever.

Throughout Scripture, thankfulness is revealed as an important characteristic to be pursued in Jesus Christ. If we claim to truly love God, we would apply ourselves to that which is pleasing to God and having a grateful heart towards God is most assuredly something that pleases Him.

Secondly, we need to worship God based upon that which He revealed Himself to be according to Scripture and Scripture alone – with reverence, in truth revealed by the Holy Spirit as a whole. Praising and glorifying God with holy fear as He is the Almighty:

Psalm 33:8-9

Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.

Malachi 4:2

But unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

Acts 9:31

Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.

Luke 12:4-5

And I say unto you My friends, be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, fear Him.

Yes, God is love, full of grace and mercy, but in His fullness God is holy. In Scripture God’s holiness is the only attribute of Him mentioned three consecutive times:

Isaiah 6:3

And one cried unto another, and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.”

Do we approach God only as our Father? Only as our Saviour? Or only as our Deliverer? Because if that is the case we have a distorted view of God and it will only end in a distorted worship of God. We need to approach, worship and serve God through Jesus Christ in His fullness as revealed according to Scripture, not just as Father, just as Saviour, or just as Deliverer etc., but as God! Thereby offering praise and glory to Him as God.

God gives us clear guidelines in Scripture how to worship and serve Him in such a way that is pleasing unto Him, revealing His will to us and revealing Himself to us. Let’s humble ourselves anew and repent of any ungratefulness or distorted worship of God that festers in our hearts and worship Him in the likeness He calls us to, with absolute reverence and thankfulness.