“WHAT SHALL I RENDER…?”

“WHAT SHALL I RENDER…?” is a question that a Christian asks very very rarely, even though we should be asking it more often. This is a question which the Psalmist asks in Psalm 116, verse twelve.
– “12 What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?” – Psalm 116:12

The Amplified Bible gives us a greater depth to what is intended by the Psalmist. The train of thought is easy to follow and understand. What is intended here, by the writer, is a personal question, and a reflection of the writer’s heart.
– “12 What will I give to the LORD [in return] For all His benefits toward me? [How can I repay Him for His precious blessings?]” – Psalm 116:12

Have we ever asked this question to ourselves? This is a question that truly reflects our hearts. A heart that has, nothing but wants, filled in it, would always want, something or the other, from the LORD. Such a heart is a selfish heart, that sees nothing else, and no one else. Such a heart is an ungrateful heart, filled with ingratitude.
– “10 “So it shall be, when the LORD your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, 11 houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full— 12 then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.” – Deuteronomy 6:10-12

However, a heart filled with gratitude and thanks would, out of its overflowing thankfulness towards God, will say,
– “12 What will I give to the LORD [in return] For all His benefits toward me? [How can I repay Him for His precious blessings?]”
This is not to say, we are trying to repay God. Nay, that is impossible, to say the least. If someone wishes to repay God, then such a heart is full of pride and arrogance. Pride does not reside in a grateful and thankful heart. Pride and gratitude, they both are absolutely incompatible.

A thankful and grateful heart would always be humble towards the LORD God Almighty. It would be firmly rooted and grounded in thankfulness towards Him, because it very well knows itself, and its limits. It knows its place, and would not dare to cross its limits. 

How is the condition of our heart this morning? What is it filled with? What do we desire? Are we grateful and thankful to the LORD, for all His benefits and blessings? Do we realise that, all what we are blessed with, and are enjoying, is actually, not deserved by us, any bit of it? Do we recognise that God, out of His abundant grace and mercy, has blessed us, going out of the way? A heart that remembers, and never forgets, is the heart that remembers to asks this question more often, than any requests it would ever make to the LORD our God – “WHAT SHALL I RENDER…” to the LORD?