In Psalms, chapter one hundred and seven, verses one through forty-three, this psalm exhorts the redeemed to praise the Lord for deliverance from desperate and dangerous situations. The psalmist uses four examples to illustrate that God responds to the extreme troubles of His people when they pray. First is hunger and thirst, as in verses four to nine. Slavery is second from verses ten through sixteen, illness almost to death is third in verses seventeen to twenty-two, and the danger of storm from verses twenty-three to thirty-two is the fourth. The psalm is relevant today for all the believers who, in misery and affliction, cry out to the Lord; it builds up our faith and encourages us during those times when we need God to intervene specifically in our lives.
The theme title, “Give thanks unto the Lord,” is in the Lord’s Goodness to Men section that encourages the saints of God to express gratitude to Him frequently. Thanking someone for doing something is a privilege that the giver embraces when they receive such a compliment. God expects believers to acknowledge and show appreciation for Him. When believers continually give God thanks and praise for His mighty acts, telling Him how much they honor Him for being who He is, His presence and their relationship only increases. “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name,” as in Psalm one hundred, verse four.
Other verses of giving thanks, “And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing,” from Psalm one hundred and seven, verse twenty-two. Psalms one hundred and sixteen, verse seventeen, “I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD. Let’s all be thankful.