WITH THANKSGIVING TO GOD

Dr. W. A. Criswell

Psalm 116:12-19

5-16-90    7:30 p.m.

Tonight we are going to speak from one of the most beautiful psalms in the language, and I pray it will be doubly precious to you throughout this message that is prepared from it.  It is Psalm 116, Psalm 116.  And the theme of the message is entitled With Thanksgiving to God.  Beginning at verse 7, Psalm 116, verse 7:

Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.

For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.

I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

I believed, therefore have I spoken: Even though I was greatly afflicted . . .

What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?

This is what I shall do: I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.

I will pay my vows unto the Lord in the presence of all His people . . .

O Lord, truly I am Thy servant; I am Thy servant, and the son of Thine handmaid: Thou hast loosed my bonds.

Therefore, I will offer to Thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.

I will pay my vows unto the Lord in the presence of all His people.

In the courts of the Lord’s house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem . . .

What is “Praise ye the Lord” in Hebrew?—“Hallelujah, praise ye the Lord” [Psalm 116:7-19].

“What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” [Psalm 116:12]. The Lord has been so wonderfully good to us.  To begin with, how could I thank God enough for the framing of my physical life?  I was not born deformed and maimed; but my hands and my feet, and my eyes and my ears, all given me in the goodness of God.

Today, upon a bus, I saw

A lovely girl with golden hair;

I envied her, she seemed so gay,

And I wished I were as fair.

When suddenly she rose to leave,

I saw her hobble down the aisle;

She had one leg, and wore a crutch,

And as she passed, a smile.

O God, forgive me when I whine—

I have two legs, the world is mine.

And then I stopped to buy some sweets;

The lad who sold them had such charm.

I talked with him, he seemed so glad;

If I were late, it would do no harm

And as I left, he said to me,

“I thank you, you have been so kind.

It’s nice to talk with folks like you;

You see,” he said, “I’m blind.”

O God, forgive me when I whine—

I have two eyes, the world is mine.

Later, walking down the street,

I saw a child with eyes of blue.

He stood and watched the others play;

It seemed he knew not what to do.

I stopped a moment, then I said,

“Why don’t you join the others, dear?”

He looked ahead without a word;

And then I knew he could not hear.

O God, forgive me when I whine—

I have eyes to see the sunset glow,

Ears to hear what I would know;

O God, forgive me when I whine.

I am blessed indeed, the world is mine.

[“The World is Mine,” Dot Aaron, in the Chicago Sun, 1947]

“What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” [Psalm 116:12].  I thank Him that I’m not maimed or deformed.  I thank Him for my home and where I live.  In trips abroad, and for a period of more than thirty-five years, I used to preach, literally, all over this world.  And upon each journey the return home was such a precious anticipation.  I thank Him for my home.  I thank Him for my church.

I love Thy kingdom, Lord,

The house of Thine abode,

The church, our blessed Redeemer bought

With His own precious blood.

I love Thy church, O God,

Her walls before Thee stand,

Dear as the apple of Thine eye,

And graven on Thy hand.

For her my tears shall fall,

For her my prayers ascend,

To her my toil and cares be given,

Till toil and cares shall end.

[“I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord,” Timothy Dwight]

“What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” [Psalm 116:12]. I thank God for my church.  I thank God for His pleading and protecting and unchanging care:

His eye is on the sparrow, yes,

And I know He watches me.

[“His Eye is on the Sparrow,” Civilla D. Martin, 1905]

We have a beautiful song we sing:

Be not dismayed, whate’er betide,

God will take care of you!

Beneath His wings of love abide,

God will take care of you!

Through every day, o’er all the way;

Our Lord will take care of you!

[“Be Not Dismayed Whate’er Betide,” Civilla D. Martin, 1904]

He has been so good to us.  And His unfailing promises are enduring forever.  Hebrews 13:5: “For He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

“What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” [Psalm 116:13].  He answers, “I will take the cup of salvation” [Psalm 116:13].  I one time read where a little waif of a boy was brought into a hospital, a charity hospital.  And when the nurse brought to the little fellow a glass of milk for the morning breakfast, the little waif took the glass and asked the nurse, “How deep may I drink?”  It was an eloquent description of the poor home in which he lived.  In that home, whenever they had a glass of milk, it had to be shared with the other children.  So when it was brought to the little lad, he could drink just so deep to leave the rest for the other children; so he asked the nurse, “How deep may I drink?”  And she answered, “Son, all of it, to the depths.”

That’s God’s gracious provision for us.  There are no limits to the depths of God’s proffered grace to us.  The fullness of every hour, the rich meaning of every day, the endless remembrances of God’s enrichment of our lives: drink to the depths.  “I will take the cup of salvation and drink it to the full. And I will call upon the name of the Lord” [Psalm 116:12-13].

God is pleased anytime, in any occasion or in any providence, that we pray to Him, that we call upon His name.  He is honored and blessed when we ask anything of Him.  Don’t be hesitant, ask.  He is pleased to bow down His ear to hear.  “I will call upon the name of the Lord” [Psalm 116:13].

“I will offer to Thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving [Psalm 116:17] . . . What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me? [Psalm 116:12].  I will offer to Thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving” [Psalm 116:17].  Let me try to reproduce here a testimony in a Wednesday prayer service, midweek hour, such as ours.  There was a man who stood up; he was a construction worker.  And as those providences in life come and go, it was at a time when building was at a low ebb, and he was having a difficult time.  The construction worker had a family; he had a wife and three children, two little boys and a little girl.  And he complained and complained and complained of the burden of the home life.  Times were hard, and he was not able to support the family as he wished.  So in his testimony he was describing how he was unkind in criticizing the family.

For example, the children, all three of them, needed new shoes.  And where was he going to find money to buy three pairs of shoes?  And his complaint: the two little boys would ride their wagon down the hillside, and they’d use the toe of their shoes for brakes, and the toes of their shoes were worn out.  And the little girl would skip rope on the sidewalk, and would wear her shoes out.  And he was complaining about the children and their need of three pairs of shoes.  So in his testimony, he said that his wife came to him and said, “Dear, the washing machine has fallen apart.  It won’t work.  And we have to have somehow another washing machine.”  So that added to his burden and his troubles.

From a friend he gained and was given the name of a couple who had an old washing machine that they were going to dispose of for a few dollars.  So he got the name and address and went to the place.  And as he stood before the house, it was a beautiful place; and he was hesitant to knock at the door.  But because of necessity, he did so anyway.  And in his testimony he said he was invited in by a precious couple.  And he told them that he’d been made aware that they had an old washing machine that they would sell for a few dollars, and he desperately needed such a machine.  And they were happy to accommodate him.

And he went into the kitchen with the couple, and looked around: everything was so beautiful, so delightful, so efficient; it was a beautiful place.  And the couple were so nice, so gracious, that he just began to talk to them, just visiting with them.  And he was telling them about all the troubles that he had.  Then he began to talk about his children and their wearing out their shoes; the two little boys with their toes on the concrete to stop the wagon and the little girl wearing out her shoes skipping rope.  The he asked the couple, “Do you by any means have any little children’s shoes that are worn out that you could let me have?”  And in his testimony the man said when he asked that question the wife in that affluent home turned pale, and turned around.  And as she walked out the door he heard her sob.  And he turned to the man, and apologized.  He said, “Oh, have I said something wrong?  I didn’t mean to.”  And the man was looking down at the floor, had his head bowed.  And when he lifted his face, he said, “No, friend, you didn’t say anything wrong.  It is just that my wife and I have one little girl.  She has never walked.  She is invalid from birth.  And we would give our very lives for a pair of worn-out shoes.”  And the man in his testimony said, “I went back home, and I gathered three pairs of worn-out children’s shoes, and I thanked God for them.”

We don’t realize the infinite blessings, rich, holy, heavenly that God has poured out upon us.  He is good to us beyond our thinking, our knowing, our experiencing.  “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me? [Psalm 116:12].  I will offer to Him the prayer and the heart’s response of thanksgiving” [Psalm 116:17].

“And I will pay my vows unto the Lord in the presence of all His people” [Psalm 116:18]; openly, publicly, unashamedly I will tell God in the presence of His people my love and abounding gratitude to Him.  And that’s why we give an invitation.  That’s why the Lord asks us in the presence of His people to commit our lives in trust and faith to Him [Romans 10:9-10].  “He died for our sins according to the Scriptures [1 Corinthians 15:3]; He was buried, and He rose again for our justification according to the Scriptures” [1 Corinthians 15:4 and Romans 4:25].  And for us publicly and openly to avow our love and thanksgiving to Him is the most precious thing we can ever do in our lives [Psalm 116:14, 17].

And son, Eddy, let’s sing us a song now.  And while we sing the song, if there is a family, or a couple, or a one somebody to answer the call of the Spirit of God in your heart, in your life, you come and stand by me.  Welcome.  “I will pay my vows, I’ll tell God I give Him my life in the presence of all His people” [Psalm 116:18; Romans 10:9-10].  While we stand and while we sing.