WHAT SHALL I RENDER TO THE LORD?

Psalm 116:12 NIV: What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me? KJV: What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me? Psalm 103:2 (NIV) Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

Holy Bible

Introduction

So soon we are at the end of the year and it is amazing how time flies. As we head into the new year, we want to pause and remember all that the LORD has done in our lives, in our families, in our churches, in our communities and in our nations. In a few days, this year will be gone and be gone for good. The new year will begin with 365 days being credited to your account. But before you start the new year, let’s do a review of the year 2021 in view of God’s goodness in its completeness in our lives. In the light of the topic, I will focus on three questions: 1. What has the LORD rendered to me this year?  2. What shall I render to the Lord?  3. What have I rendered to the Lord?

In Psalm 116:12 and Psalm 103:2, we see David expressing his deepest love and greatest gratitude and his highest praise to the LORD for His goodness toward him. He is giving thanks to the Lord for both material and spiritual blessings that the Lord has given him. 

Question 1. What has the LORD rendered or done for me this year? 

To answer this question, each of us must sit down and consider the depth and the height of God’s mercies and God’s goodness towards him or her. There is an old hymn that says, “Count your many blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done”. Beloved, you ought to count all your blessings and name them one by one. I challenge you to number all of His benefits to you without forgetting any. In Psalm 103:2(NLT) David said, “let all that I am praise the LORD and may I never forget the good things He does for me”. I like the way the King James Version renders it. It says, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:”. 

In that statement David is addressing one of the chronic diseases of humankind – FORGETFULNESS. As humans as we are, we turn to quickly and easily forget things. We have short memories that fail to recall the good deeds we have enjoyed. More so, in that verse, David uses the clause “Bless the LORD or Praise the LORD”. This phrase comes from the Hebrew word “barak” (baw-rak’). Barak is a Hebrew word that calls us to kneel in submission before our God. It invokes the idea of solitude – a time when all activities and all the shouts and songs and the music cease. David is saying, “my soul, cease from every noise and every possible distraction. Then get alone with God and begin to recount all His benefits toward you. Recount the big and the small, the significant and the insignificant, the visible and the invisible, the material and the spiritual blessings He has given you”.  I encourage you to employ your mathematical faculties and deploy the best of your memories. Rewind your mind to January and fast-forward it to December. As you replay and watch the flashbacks, try to see the drop of God’s goodness and mercies in every scene and chapter of your life. If you succeed in doing that, you will be amazed at your indebtedness to the Lord.

Question 2. What Shall I Render To the Lord? Psalm 116:12 (KJV) What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?

… unto the LORD: The LORD from the original language means the owner- the man with the absolute right of ownership. By asking the question what shall I render unto the LORD? You are acknowledging your source – who is the LORD. That means you are just a steward of God’s goodies. Now examine your life and see what you have that you have not received. God gives us all things and richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment (1Tim 6:17, 2Peter 1:3). 

Besides, by asking the question what shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me? You are acknowledging your indebtedness to the owner. Gratefulness begins with the acknowledgement of the truth that you own nothing. Ungratefulness on the other hand is the failure to acknowledge the truth that you have because you have been given, and you are because He has made you. There is the tendency to become mean toward God if you don’t acknowledge Him as the owner and the source. We will always find it difficult to give back to the Lord, if we have not acknowledged Him as the source and the owner. It is important to know that giving back to the Lord is an act of gratitude and not a bait for His blessing. The secret is, so long as we acknowledge Him as the source and give back to Him we are not going to lack. 

… what shall I render?: The question “what shall I render or what shall I offer or what shall I give back or what shall I return to the LORD or how can I repay the Lord” implies that the Lord is not demanding anything from you, rather there is a demand on you to respond or give back to the Lord. It is required of the one who has received from the Lord to take out of what he has received and give back to the Lord. The verb “render” has a wide range of meaning including “to give back as you were given using the exact measure that was used to you”. This refers to the idea that the people who received God’s goodness should give back to the LORD according to the way in which they have been blessed. It means that our reaction must be equal to God’s action in magnitude and in quality. The truth is that the LORD has been so good to you, it is now your turn to respond to His goodness. 

… for all His benefits: The phrase “His benefits” in the Hebrew language has two fold meanings. One part has to do with what a person has done to you. That refers to dealings, good deeds or what the person has done for you. The second part has to do with what the person deserves as the result of what he has done for you.  So in this regard we are talking about you recounting God’s goodness in its completeness and giving Him what He deserves in return. 

The Lord has rendered so much goodness to you. Take a very good and careful look around and inside you. Can you see what He has done? How do you want to respond to His goodness? What do you want to render Him? His benefits and blessings are so many that we cannot number them. There is no general rule for responding to God’s goodness and there is no particular way of expressing gratitude to God. Each one of us should find his or her own way of expressing gratitude to God. O, if only I had a thousand tongues, I would  praise my Lord with them all. 

Question 3. What Have I Rendered To the Lord?  

In the year 2021, the Lord has offered us 52 weeks, 365 days and 8760 hours. How much of those days have you given back to Him? He has given you some money this year. Some of us it is in millions, some in thousands and others in hundreds. No matter the amount, how much have you given back to the Lord? What about the amazing talents and excellent skills He has given you? Have you served Him with them?

Conclusion

Beloved, we have every reason to be very grateful for the measure of health which we enjoy, especially during this pandemic. The LORD has preserved and kept us alive in the midst of many dangers and the pandemic. By some divine providence, death has been turned aside just as it seemed to be speeding towards us with a straight course. 

Your story may be different, it may be a disease or sickness that wanted to terminate your life and the Lord healed you. My story may be I lost my job and was on the verge of becoming homeless, and the Lord provided a job and a home. For some of us, the Lord has given us some comforts of this life and we can say, “the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”. For many of us, the Lord has provided for us in diverse ways. He has given us a family, a job, business, food and clothing and a place to lay our heads. Beloved, this is enough cause for gratitude. 

Remember this, “Gratefulness begins with the acknowledgement of the truth that you own nothing. Ungratefulness on the other hand is the failure to acknowledge the truth that you have because you have been given, and you are because He has made you. Know that giving to the Lord is an act of gratitude and not a bait for His blessing.”

What shall I render to the Lord for all the good He does for me? I will count all my blessings in the light of God’s goodness in its completeness and render to Him the glory, praise and worship due Him.

Wishing you a Happy and Prosperous New Year!