1.

Read v. 1. In this troublesome world, things might not always go the way we want them to go, so that on many occasions we might feel like complaining. Yet, the psalmist exhorts us to praise the Lord. What does the expression “soul” or “all my inmost being” suggest to us about the spirit of praise?  What does it mean to praise him “for his holy name” (Exo 15:11; Psalm 89:8)? 

** These expressions tell us that our praise should be more than lip service: praising the Lord must be with our enter person – our mind and heart, will, intellect, and emotions, our body and spirit! 

** It means that in order for us to be able to give thanks to God and praise him, we must first be God-centered, rather than self-centered, for if we keep thinking about ourselves, other people, or something else like circumstances, or things that happen in this world, we end up complaining all the more rather than thanking and praising God.

One of the meanings of the word “holy” is to be set apart or different. “Name” has to do with the essential character of a being. The Lord is different from us and all of his creation, in that he alone is perfectly powerful and perfectly beneficial. This is our first and foremost important thanks topic.

2.

Read v. 2. What does “forget not ‘all’ of his benefits” tell us about the way to keep the spirit of thanksgiving? 

**The practical way to keep the spirit of thanksgiving is to think about all the benefits the Lord has given us and count them all one by one, until the spirit of appreciation and then thanks and praise for these benefits arises within us. 

3. 

Read vs. 3-4. How many thanks topics (or praise topics, if you will) can you find? How are they related to one another? How many of them are applicable to you?

** 6 of them. 

He forgives us of our sins;

He heals us of every disease;

He redeems our life from the pit;

He crowns us with love and compassion;

He satisfies our desires with good things; and

He renews our youth like the eagles.

4. 

Read v. 6. The psalmist says that the Lord works righteousness and justice “for the oppressed”. What does this passage show us about another important thanks topic for us (Romans 1:16-17; 3:25; Gal 5:1, 13)? 

** Freedom from the iron grip of all of our enemies like the power of sin and Satan. Hidden in this passage is the grace that comes from Jesus’ self-sacrifice. Righteousness refers to the righteousness that comes from faith in the Lord Jesus (Romans 1:16-17). Justice refers to Jesus’ total sacrifice on the cross satisfying God’s demand for justice that must punish every hint of sin found in men (Romans 3:25).

5. 

Read v. 7. How are “his ways” different from “his deeds”? Why do you think the Lord made them known to Moses? To his people? What thanks topic(s) can we find?

** The expression “his ways” refers to such questions/issues as “why”, “how”, or “where”, whereas the term “deeds” talks about “what”. His ways exist on a higher level than his deeds, for his deeds are dependent upon his ways. His ways, then, talk about what goes on inside of the Lord God and therefore are not visible, whereas his deeds present the outcome/manifestation of what the Lord God originally had in mind and then made present in the visible reality. 

** So we would know the Lord (his will, purpose, direction, plan, etc.) and live as His children, particularly as members of the kingdom of priests and a holy nation. 

** The knowledge of God (his will, purpose, plan, etc.) is one of the greatest thanks topics, for it helps us not to be confused about the meaning, purpose, and direction of our lives, but rather to have a clear idea why we live, what to live for, where we go, etc. 

6. 

Read vs. 8-18. What does this passage show us about: 1) man’s life on earth; 2) the Lord’s grace upon men; and 3) his love and his righteousness for those who put trust in him? What additional thanks topic(s) can we find here?

** It is short and transient. It flies away like a dream (Job 20:8). It is just like grass or a spring flower, which appears for a while and quickly disappears. Plus it is filled with sorrows and troubles. It comes with errors, mistakes, blunders, and sin problems. 

** His grace is far greater than our sins deserve. This reminds us of what the Apostle Paul says in Romans 5:10, “Where sin increased grace increased all the more” or what some of the hymn songs say, such as, “his grace abounded more” or “the grace greater than all of our sins...” etc. 

** Unceasingly great, lasting from generation to generation.

** Thanks topic for the next generations to come, for God blesses our children because of our faith and obedience to the Lord. 

7. 

Read vs. 19-22. Despite all the undesirable things that are happening in this world, what does this passage show us about the way the psalmist sees the world? What grand thanks topic do we have here?  

** The Lord God rules the universe and everything in it according to his absolute love and power. It is not men who rule, but God who rules. And the Lord does so in the invisible realm by employing tons of angels and other heavenly beings that obey the Lord.

** We are not in a picky, pesky, perilous world, but under God’s sovereign rule. Our life is never an accident, but is under God’s divine providence through which he leads us to his world of perfection. The end.