Have you ever wanted to repay someone for a kind act they did for you? You want to do something special to tell them how much you were touched. David expresses the same feelings toward God. He asks the question of “How can you repay the Lord?”
Psalms 116:12-14
“How can I repay the Lord for all the good he has done for me? I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.”
Overwhelmed by Goodness
David is overwhelmed by the goodness of God. As he writes this, he understands how much he has been blessed even though he didn’t deserve it. He starts to ponder how he can make it up to God. He wants to do something that will show his gratefulness for everything that God has done for him. This is a good reminder for us as well. Not that we can repay God, we can’t, but we can look back on all the good he has done for us. David gives us three ways that we can express our gratitude towards God.
Cup of Salvation
How can you repay the Lord? First, we can take the cup of salvation. We can show our gratitude to God by accepting Jesus as our savior. He is the only one who can save us from hell and forgive our sins. Salvation goes beyond belief. Many people believe in Jesus, but very few follow him. To follow we need to submit to his Lordship and walk in his ways. This leads us to the second way we can repay God.
Call on the Name of the Lord
Second, we can call on the name of the Lord. This can manifest itself in a couple of ways. We can call on the name of the Lord through prayer and worship. As we walk with Christ on a daily basis, we need to talk to him. It doesn’t have to be formal just a conversation of what is on our heart. We also need to praise him and acknowledge how good he is.
Fulfill Your Vows
Finally, we need to fulfill our vows to God. This is another term for obedience. This means that we do what the Word of God tells us and we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. If we blow it and mess up, we stop and make it right by asking for forgiveness. How can you repay the Lord? Don’t think that you have to do anything grandiose for God to repay him. Merely following him by worshipping and obeying is suffice enough.