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Thanksgiving is the expression of the human heart in praise and prayer of the sacred memory of the gracious acts of God which benefit our lives every day.  In Psalm 9, David manifests thanksgiving in praise and prayer.  Praise and prayer are aspects of worship.  Worship is devotion or homage paid to deity.  David renders unto God what is rightly due His holy name.

Thanksgiving and Praise.
Praise is adoration of the name of God for His glory, holiness and majesty.  God acts in creation and redemption to benefit all of mankind.  David makes a holy resolution in response to all that God has done, “I will praise thee.”  Consider some aspects of this praise:
1.  It is personal.  “I.”  David engages his own heart, mind and will to glorify God.  He has been touched by God’s mercies and graciousness.  He renders the praise as thanksgiving.
2.  It is reflective.  David spends time thinking about God and what He has done.  We must count our many blessings and name them one by one.  We are ‘vessels of mercy’.  Just as a ordinary vessel by its scent tells what liquid is in it, so should our lips smell of the fragrance of God’s mercy shed abroad in our hearts.  Thanksgiving is reflective of God’s mercies and help.
3.  It is purposed.  “I will.”   It sometimes takes all of our determination to bless God in the midst of adversity.  Job’s wife told him to curse God and die.  Job said, “The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed by the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21 and 2:9).
4.  It is focused.  “I will praise thee.”  God is the ultimate source of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17).  God is an inexhaustible fountain of blessings that enriches our lives.  You cannot separate thanksgiving from God.
5.  It is declared.  “I will show forth.”  The psalmist openly declares his praise for God’s goodness.  He tells saint and sinner.  His praise is a thankful telling forth of all God has done for him.
6.  It is unfeigned.  “With my whole heart.”  There is no pretense.  There is no lip service.  His praise is whole-hearted and sincere.  This distinguishes him from the hypocrites who pay lip service but their hearts are far from God (Matt. 15:8).
7.  It is all-encompassing.  “All thy marvelous works.”  Can we truly comprehend all of the marvelous works of God?  His preservation, forgiveness, conversion, deliverance, creation, provision, guidance, justification, sanctification, atonement, reconciliation, salvation, answered prayers and we shutter to leave something out.  If we are willing to talk of His deeds, God has given us plenty to talk about!

Gladness and joy are the appropriate spirit in which to praise the goodness of God.  Joy and thanksgiving go together.  Can you be sad while counting up all the blessings God has bestowed upon you?  Can you truly be thankful and not be joyful?  We rejoice in the Lord.

Thanksgiving and Prayer.
In Psalm 9:13, David pleads, “Have mercy upon me, O LORD.”  This breathes forth a humble spirit.  It exudes a deep spiritual need.  It indicates self-knowledge and self-awareness.  It make appeal to the source which possesses the power of spiritual healing.
Thou liftest me up from the gates of death.  Sickness, sin, despair, and temptation have worked to bring us low.  When it seems helpless and hopeless, God delivers and saves.  Underneath us are the everlasting arms of Almighty God.
The psalmist returns to praise.

This day of thanksgiving, let us use our lips to declare the true feelings of our hearts as we stand overwhelmed by God’s graciousness and lovingkindness.

Psalm 116 contains the central thought of love, adoration, and thanksgiving to God for His acts of redemption. The thoughts are personal.  God is magnified for His graciousness.  He has manifested mercy, deliverance from enemies and protection.  The Psalmist asks, “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?

We want to focus on the response of the human heart that knows the grace of God. What can be done to manifest our gratitude?

Take the Cup of Blessing
We must first drink of the fullness of God’s goodness.  We must take it all in and experience His saving power.  Partake with joyful hearts.  Thanksgiving from the heart flows from participation in the stream of the grace of God.

Call Upon The Name of the Lord
In the Old Testament, the phrase, “to call upon the name of the Lord” was used frequently for worshipping God.  Worship directed to God is a manifestation of thanksgiving. Worship is homage paid to deity.  It is reverence, awe, love and devotion toward God.  It involves acts, sanctioned by God, that are directed to Him. Prayers are thank you notes to God. Praise glorifies His name.  In the midst of the assembly of the saints, God’s Word is declared and honored.  His works are remembered.  Worship attempts to give God what is rightly due Him.

I Am Thy Servant
God’s goodness toward us produces a desire to give something back.  Many today have become lovers of self.  This results in being self-centered, and self-absorbed.  Freedom from sin is the result of God’s saving acts (redemptive acts).  Such freedom results in our sonship.  Sonship without service is a manifestation of ingratitude. When we become lovers of God, we become selfless.  Service to God is the result of selflessness.  This is the key to sacrificial love.

Sacrifice of Thanksgiving
The Psalmist declares, “My inmost soul shall adore Thee.”  How?  He will do it with lips of prayer and praise.  He will surrender his heart in character and conduct that is befitting a servant of the Most High God.  He renders a thankful heart.  This is a heart that is humble, full of love and totally devoted to God’s Will.

A Challenge
Use holy ingenuity to search out various ways by which you may render fresh praises to our God!  Begin with the thoughts expressed in this Psalm.  Render to God the genuine praise His majesty and glory deserves.