There are many ways in which we say “thank you” to people. It might be through literally saying, “thank you” to them. It might be through sending a card to express your gratitude to them. It could even be through some kind of gift that serves as a token of your appreciation.

That’s how we say thank you to other people, but how do we say thank you to God for all that He has done for us? Words, cards, and even gifts do not necessarily seem to be enough in light of who He is – the God of the universe who made all things – and in light of all that He has done – the One from whom all blessings flow and the One who has saved us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. 

I’m thankful for the guidance that we are given to this question by the Heidelberg Catechism. For those not familiar with this document, it was written back in 1563 in Germany as a way to explain key teachings of the Bible concerning the Christian faith and the Christian life. While it is now over 450 years old, its words remain as truthful and relevant now as they were then, which is why it is one of Faith Church’s statements of faith. As a catechism, this writing teaches the Christian faith in a series of questions and answers. These questions and answers are organized in 52 sections, corresponding to the 52 weeks of the year so that a church could teach through it all in a year. 

The second question and answer of the Catechism reveals another way it is structured, as it speaks about needing to know three things in order to know how to live and die in the comfort spoken about in its famous (and beautiful) first question. These three things are: “first, how great my sin and misery are; second, how I am set free from all my sins and misery; third, how I am to thank God for such deliverance.” The rest of the Catechism then talks about these topics, with Q&A 3-11 discussing our guilt, Q&A12-85 discussing God’s grace to us, and Q&A86-129 focused on “how I am to thank God for such deliverance.”

As I recently re-read the third section of the Catechism, two questions in particular stood out on this subject of giving thanks to God for His abundant grace in the face of our inexcusable guilt.  

Obedience
The first question in the section on gratitude (Q&A 86) is a question that naturally arises from the truth that we are saved by grace through faith rather than by works: “Since we have been delivered from our misery by grace through Christ without any merit of our own, why then should we do good works?” Here is the answer that it gives: “Because Christ, having redeemed us by his blood, is also restoring us by his Spirit into his image, so that with our whole lives we may show that we are thankful to God for his benefits, so that he may be praised through us, so that we may be assured of our faith by its fruits, and so that by our godly living our neighbors may be won over to Christ.” 

We show our gratitude to God through the good works that we perform through the power of the Spirit. This is not a quid pro quo in which we are trying to match the gift that we have been given in Christ. Rather, it is putting into practice the very gift that God has given us, as Christ saved us not just from our sin but for good works (see Ephesians 2:10). As we live this life, we will be offering thanks to God in abundant ways (see Colossians 2:6-7); we give thanks to God through our actions but also become people who offer more and more thanks to God as we live in accordance with His way. The link between thankfulness and obedience is also seen in the fact that a sign of godlessness is a lack of gratitude which devolves into more disobedience (Romans 1:21). This act of thanks is not just in saying “thank you,” but by imitating Christ in new ways, which both offers us assurance that Christ is really at work in our lives and shows His power to the world so that more might know Him and offer Him praise. Not only do we give thanks to God as we reflect Him in word and deed, but such activities also lead to others offering thanksgiving to God (see 2 Corinthians 4:15; 9:11-12) 

Prayer
The other question and answer from the Heidelberg Catechism on the subject of thanksgiving that caught my eye is Q&A 116. It transitions from the Catechism’s discussion of the Ten Commandments (which are ways to say thank you!) to its discussion of the Lord’s Prayer by asking, “Why do Christians need to pray?” Here is the response: “Because prayer is the most important part of the thankfulness God requires of us. And also because God gives his grace and Holy Spirit only to those who pray continually and groan inwardly, asking God for these gifts
and thanking God for them.” Did you read that? Prayer is the most important part of the way that we show gratitude to God. I don’t think this is simply because it is in prayer that we can (and should) literally say “thank you” to God. It is also a way in which we live into the good gift that God has given us in Christ, reconciling us back to God so that we can have a relationship with Him and be called children of God. Thus, every time we cry out to God as our “Father,” we utilize this gift that God has given us that is free to us but comes at a great cost to us! I would contend that we really can’t be giving thanks to God without engaging Him in prayer; obedience and sacrifice are good things, but can be done with the attitude of an employee rather than with the attitude of a child. Therefore, we need to view our prayer life as a key element of the way that we say “thank you” to God. 

Giving Thanks to God 
So, let’s return to the question we asked – how do we say thanks to the God of the universe who has saved us from a debt that we not only cannot pay back but really could never even comprehend? Walking in His ways and walking in His presence. Such actions will lead us to saying “thank you” and offering gifts to Him and in His name but in a way that is a bit different (and far greater) than how we say “thank you” to those around us. Of course, as we walk in His ways and walk in His presence, we will also become people who give thanks not just to Him but to and for those He has placed in our lives. We often associate “thanksgiving” with the Pilgrims; may others associate thanksgiving with the church of God today.

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