I heard a really funny story on the subject of thanking God. As it turns out, an ATHEIST professor was walking through the woods one day, admiring the accident of evolution. He looked at the trees and the flowers; he observed the rivers and the animals, and he marveled at the magnificence of evolution. All of a sudden, he heard a rustling in the bushes, and out pounced a seven-foot grizzly bear. Immediately, the bear began chasing him. He ran feverishly to save his life, huffing, puffing, and crying, with the bear catching up with him after every step. He tripped and fell. Now the bear hovered over him, ready to pounce. That’s when the atheist cried out, “O my God, help me!” All of a sudden, a light came out of heaven. The bear’s paw was in the air, ready to swipe at him, but the bear froze. The river stopped flowing. The wind stopped blowing. Everything was perfectly quiet and perfectly still. That’s when the Voice spoke. The Voice through the light said, “Sir, do you really believe that after all these years of denying Me, after all these years of believing that this universe is merely a cosmic accident, and after all of these years of teaching your students why I do not exist that I would help you now?” The man peering at the light said, “You know, You’re right, my track record is bad, and it would be hypocritical of me to call on You now, but maybe we could approach this a different way. Even though You can’t do anything for me, perhaps You could turn the bear into a Christian. If you did that, things would still turn out differently for me.” The Voice from the light said, “As you request.” Suddenly, the river began to flow, the wind began to blow, and the trees began to rustle. The bear sat back, picked up its two paws, and clasped them together. It looked up and said, “O God, thank You for this food I am about to receive.” Things can get scary sometimes. When things get bad enough, it’s amazing the new direction people are willing to look.¹ Why Thanking God Always Is the Right Way, that’s our focus on this week’s Light On Life.

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Becoming The Good Man God Wants You To Be

[Tweet “Praise should have a reason; that way, it doesn’t degenerate into a mindless repetition of words.”]

Read the Notes

You can view a basic transcript of this podcast at the bottom of this section.

Accept the Challenge

Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put it into operation.
This weeks call is:

Decide to obey these verses of scripture on the subject of praise. If you walk in the Light that you have, more will be added to you.

Join the Conversation

Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony. Testimony is vital to a believer’s life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11).
This week’s question is:

Question: Share an example of how you praised the Lord for His great deliverance in your life. Please leave your response in the comments section below.

Episode Resources

You can find additional information on the subject of Thanking God in the resources listed below.

• #S6-048: Is Praise and Worship the Pillars of Your House [Encore Podcast]
• What’s Praise and Worship in Heaven Like?
• #S6-019: Worshiping God: Why the Hour Is Here [Podcast]
• Why We Must Not Confuse New Testament Worship with the Old
• How To Avoid One Of The Biggest Worship Mistakes Ever
• What is The Costly Foundation of Worship?
• The Second Commandment: The Exclusive Necessity to Worship God
• #S4-008: What Ten Things Are You Thankful For? [Podcast]

About Emery

Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 40 years ago and has served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. Both he and his wife Sharon of 37 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is both the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.

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If you enjoyed the podcast, please rate it on Stitcher Radio and leave a review. If you have a suggestion for a Bible topic you would like to see taught, or if you have a question, please e-mail me at emery@emeryhorvath.com.

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Podcast Notes

Thanking God Psalm 116 Style

Psalm 116:1–2 (ESV) — 1 I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. 2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

• Psalm 116 is a psalm about thanking God for His great deliverances.
• There are several of these kinds of psalms, for example – Psalm 32, 34, 40, 75, 107, 116, and 118.
• And, so it is good to always be in the habit of thanking God.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV) — 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

• You can see that giving thanks is the will of the Lord.
• Now, our praise should have a reason; that way, it doesn’t degenerate into a mindless repetition of words.
• You know Jesus warned us about this kind of thing.
• He called them vain words – vain repetitions.

Matthew 6:7 (ESV) — 7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

• When you pray, don’t pile up empty phrases – the words ‘empty phrases’ is one word in Greek, and with that thought, here’s the definition of the day.
• The words ‘empty phrases’ means to chatter or babble.
• It means to utter many, and especially useless and purposeless, words.
• You know those that worshiped false gods would chant the same words over and over again – their hearts were not connected at all to what they were trying to express.
• The Psalmist here in 116 wasn’t guilty of uttering empty, useless, and purposeless words.
• He praises God here in this Psalm with precision.
• Listen to how he approaches the Lord in this song unto Him.
• He says, ‘I love the Lord.’
• But, he doesn’t stop there — he goes on to tell you why he loved the Lord – why he thanked God.
• ‘Because — ‘and that’s the next word’ — He has heard my voice — AND because He has heard my pleas for mercy.
• So, if you want to thank God, here’s a good place to start – be specific in your praise.
• You love the Lord too, don’t you, just like the Psalmist?
• And, isn’t it true that this year – this year full of trial, this COVID laced year of difficulty and as the Bible calls it, perilous times’ – you prayed unto God, you talked to the Lord about your difficulty, and what did He do?
• He heard you — He listened to you.
• But, He did more than just hear you as you understand the word.
• You know when God listens, it means something more than just words that strike the ear — it means more than gathering information.
• Listen to another Psalm – Psalm 18, a Psalm of David

Psalm 18:6 (ESV) — 6 In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.

• What does it mean, God heard my voice?
• Humankind listens to gather information, but God doesn’t have to listen to gain knowledge because He is all knowledgeable — He knows the end from the beginning.
• Hearing in Hebrew means much more than gathering information.
• The Hebrew word for ‘doing’ means taking action and is the same word as hearing.
• That means when God hears a person; He acts on what He heard.
• He does something about what He heard.
• If He listened, He delivered.
• And His response to you, His delivering and saving hand being manifest on your behalf, made you love Him all the more.

Psalm 91:14–15 (ESV) — 14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. 15 When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.

• Did you hear that?
• The Lord didn’t just acknowledge your words. He acted — He came to your side — He rescued you — He honored you with His deliverance.
• And now, you honor Him by being specific with your words to you, with your praises.
• The Psalmist in 116 goes on to say.

Psalm 116:3–5 (ESV) — 3 The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. 4 Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!” 5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.

• The writer of this Psalm, this soul whom the Lord rescued, goes on to thank God yet more for His delivering hand.
• So, what is the psalmist doing here? — he is making a big deal out of God’s big deliverance.
• You could even say he is bragging on God.
• Gracious is the Lord, he says.
• That’s a good word used to describe the Lord — gracious.
• Why should you thank God? — because he is gracious.
• The Hebrew word gracious is an adjective used to describe this characteristic of God.
• This word is only used of Him – it is exclusive to God.
• God is gracious like no other human can be — which means He is super-disposed to bestow favors or blessings.
• You could say the Lord is full of favors.
• The Lord favors you – He does favors for you.
• What does that imply?
• It absolutely means that you don’t have to talk God into the notion of delivering you.
• Because of His great graciousness, He abounds toward you in favor.

Psalm 23:5–6 (ESV) — 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

• God prepared a special place for you at His table, anointing your head with oil, commanding goodness and mercy to trail you all your days, is Him bestowing favor on your life.
• How different a mentality we would have if we understood this part of Him.
• We kind of brace-up in our prayer life — we think we will have to twist God’s arm – you know, talk Him into the notion of bestowing a blessing.
• And so, we go at it; we try to bombard the gates with our requests.
• Like you are trying to talk Him into the idea of helping you — like you are making a sales pitch to the Most High.
• No, God is disposed to deliver you — that means He leans that way anyway.
• God is leaning in your direction — He wants to help you — He wants to bless you — He wants to lift from the miry clay and set your feet on solid rock.
• Can I tell you? — He yearns to do that because of His great love for you.

1 John 4:16 (ESV) — 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

• Why wouldn’t He deliver you? — and why wouldn’t you thank Him for it?
• Now, you may say — ‘I don’t deserve God’s blessing because I haven’t been the best follower of Jesus this year.’
• Keep reading child of God — ‘The Lord is gracious and righteous’ — that means He is going to deliver you because according to His great love, it’s the right thing to do but, keep reading — keep reading because there is more — Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.
• You may not have been the best follower of Jesus that you could have been.
• But, God’s love for you is not according to your works — it’s according to His great mercy toward you.
• Always remember that when God looks at Jesus, He sees you — and, when He looks at You, He sees Jesus.
• The Hebrew word ‘merciful’ used here in Psalm 116:5 is another word we should become familiar with.
• It means to show compassion.
• Merciful means to love and to care for.
• Why should you be in the habit of thanking God?
• Because he loves you, infinitely.
• He cares about you consistently.
• And, He yearns over you absolutely.
• So, we have seen three words here used to describe the Lord in Psalm 116 — gracious, righteous, and merciful — that’s our God – He is all of those.
• We have honed on two of them especially – gracious and merciful.
• When you see Him in this way, as gracious and merciful, how can you not be thankful unto God?
• Now, this Psalm is not the only place that these terms ‘gracious and merciful’ appear as descriptors of the Most High.
• Check out Exodus 34, for example.

Exodus 34:4–6 (ESV) — 4 So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. 5 The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

• Did you hear it today? — ‘the Lord, a God merciful and gracious?’
• These are the same words in Psalm 116 — the Lord is merciful, that is, full of compassion, — the Lord is gracious that is disposed to do favors.

Compassion and Favor in the Ministry of Jesus

• So, you can thank God the Father directly for His great compassion towards you.
• You can praise Him for His favor.
• Both of these ‘God’ attributes were also visible in the ministry of Jesus.
• After all, He is the Son of God — He is the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth.
• Jesus and the Father God are one.
• One day in the ministry of Jesus, he lifted His eyes and saw a whole bunch of people – and what was His reaction to this great crowd that He saw?

Matthew 14:14 (ESV) — 14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

• He had compassion for them and healed their sick.
• Can you see from this account that compassion does something?
• It is not just a feeling — we often think of compassion in this way.
• We almost liken it to pity – but it’s not pity at all.
• No, compassion is not something you feel – compassion is something you do.
• Compassion is a verb.
• Feelings can accompany compassion, but it is not feeling alone.
• Compassion does something.
• In the ministry of Jesus, compassion healed the sick.
• But that’s not all that compassion was responsible for in Jesus’ earth walk.

Matthew 15:32–36 (ESV) — 32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” 35 And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

• Compassion saw hungry people and did something about it.
• It made sure that the hungry didn’t remain in that case on that day.
• You might think, ‘Well, what about the next day. Wouldn’t that same crowd be hungry the next day?’
• Well, of course, they would.
• But, every day is a different day for miracles.
• Do you remember what Jesus said in Matthew six?

Matthew 6:31–34 (ESV) — 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

• What is Jesus saying here?
• He is saying that every unique day on planet earth has its own share of difficulties.
• Since that is the case, and since God is the same God tomorrow as He is today, let tomorrow’s problems be tomorrow’s concern.
• Live today in the present.
• Look to God today for your daily bread, your daily miracle of provision, your daily supply if you would.
• Jesus is actually playing on words here because if you live for today and refuse to worry about tomorrow when tomorrow comes, it will again be today.
• In other words, tomorrow never comes for the child of God who always lives in ‘the today.’
• Walk with God in the today; don’t waste your energy being concerned about what might happen tomorrow.
• When you get to tomorrow, you will find God is already there.
• Now, let’s get back to Jesus and compassion.
• Jesus was motivated by compassion.
• It propelled Him to action.
• He healed the sick because of it.
• And, He fed the multitudes because of it.
• As an imitator of Him, what are you going to do?
• And with that thought, here’s the illustration of the day.

A Greek class was given an assignment to study the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25–37. These young theologs were to do an in-depth analysis of the biblical text, observing and commenting on all the major terms and syntactical factors worth mentioning. Each student was to write his own translation after having done the work on his commentary. As is true in most language classes, a couple or three of the students cared more about the practical implications of the assignment than its intellectual stimulation. The morning the work was to be turned in, these three teamed up and carried out a plan to prove their point. One volunteered to play the part of an alleged victim. They tore his shirt and trousers, rubbed mud, catsup, and other realistic-looking ingredients across his “wounds,” marked up his eyes and face so he hardly resembled himself, then placed him along the path that led from the dormitory to the Greek classroom. While the other two hid and watched, he groaned and writhed, simulating great pain. Not one student stopped. They walked around him, stepped over him, and said different things to him. But nobody stooped over to help. What do you want to bet their academic work was flawless … and insightful … and handed in on time? This incident always reminds me of a scripture that penetrates the surface of our intellectual concerns. “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” (1 John 3:16–17, NIV).²

• So, you can see from this illustration what compassion should do.
• Are you able to thank God for His great compassion?
• Can you thank God for the example Jesus left us to imitate?

The Sacrifice of Thanking God

• In Psalm 116, would you drop down with me to verse seventeen?

Psalm 116:17 (ESV) — 17 I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.

• Notice that the will is identified here in this Psalm as an important component in the area of thanksgiving.
• David said, ‘I will offer thanksgiving to God.’
• So, it’s your will which is involved and your feeling.
• Feelings are subject to the physical condition of a man.
• You know, if your stomach feels good, you feel good.
• If it doesn’t, then you don’t.
• But, God is the same God, whether you feel f=good or not.
• And He is worthy of your thanks, whether you feel like thanking Him or not.
• Thanking God is a quality decision you make.
• You choose to come before God with a grateful heart.
• Thankfulness should characterize your walk in Him.
• It’s a sign of spiritual health.

Around 125 A.D., a Greek by the name of Aristeides wrote to one of his friends, trying to explain the extraordinary success of the new religion, Christianity. In his letter he said, “If any righteous man among the Christians passes from this world, they rejoice and offer thanks to God, and they accompany his body with songs and thanksgiving as if he were setting out from one place to another nearby.” ³

• One last thing I want you to notice about verse seventeen as we get ready to close.
• Notice the order of the two activities listed here.
• Listen to it carefully.

I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.

• Did you notice that praise comes before calling on the Name of the Lord?
• You should offer first the sacrifice of praise.
• After you do that, then you offer your petition before God.
• But there’s more.
• Read this passage about thanking God in the Epistles of Paul.

Philippians 4:6 (ESV) — 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

• Here in Philippians, praise comes after the supplication – after the request.
• So this is good Bible order – start with praise – make your request – and then finish with praise.
• What you have now is a Praise Sandwich.
• It is always right to thank God.
• You guys have a great God-week in Jesus’ Name.

#S3-005: What Does Jesus Healing on the Sabbath Teach? [Podcast]

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