“What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me? I shall lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the LORD. I shall pay my vows to the Lord…To you I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and call upon the name of the LORD. I shall pay my vows to the LORD.”                      

Psalm 116:12-18 NASB

The psalmist knew how much he owed to God and wondered what he could “render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me”. What would he do to respond to the great things God had done for him?

                He was compelled to direct his attention to God and tell Him the gratitude he felt in his heart. Then, he determined to give to God the things he had owed. He needed to make a tangible expression with the resources that God had given him. He was God’s servant and needed to serve Him with his life and all that he had. He needed to make a meaningful sacrifice out of a heart of gratitude.