How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?

In this verse from Psalm 116, the psalmist raises a question which we should regularly ponder. Our God is a good and gracious God, he has forgiven and restored us to himself in Jesus Christ, his mercy and blessing touches every part of our lives.

How can we repay our God for all his goodness to us?

In a very real way, we can’t. God’s grace is so great, God’s mercy so immense that we cannot even begin to repay all that he has done for us. Yet deep within us we know we are called to respond – respond to God’s goodness with hearts of gratitude and lives which express our thanks to God. The psalmist proclaimed how his gratitude would be expressed: “I will lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people…” (Vss. 13-14). He determined to respond to God’s goodness through worship, and through the fulfillment of vows – acts of obedience and devotion. These outward acts were not significant in themselves… they were merely manifestations of a heart so blessed that it responded to God in gratitude.

How can we respond to God for all his goodness to us?

First and foremost, by cultivating hearts of gratitude and thanksgiving – but we are also called to express our heart in what we do. We, like the psalmist, can express the gratitude of our hearts through worship – coming together with God’s people to offer God our praise and thanksgiving. We can also respond through offering God our acts of dedication and devotion. One of those acts is giving. As we give to God’s work, we express our thankfulness for God’s goodness and our dedication to love and serve him. We give to the Lord not merely to pay the bills of the church, or even to advance its mission (though these are important), but as an outward expression of gratitude and love in our hearts for God’s goodness to us!

We are in the season when we are given the opportunity to consider our stewardship for the coming year. As you do so, prayerfully consider not just the needs of the church but also the need of your heart to respond to God for his goodness, grace, and love.

Grace and Peace,
Steve