25 Jun 2026, 18:20Catherine Anthony Boldeau, BUC Stewardship Director
O for a Thousand Tongues
Developing an Attitude of Gratitude
“Please.” “Sorry.” “Thank you.”
Three of the most powerful words in any language.
New York Times bestselling author Mark Batterson uses these three simple expressions as the title of his book, Please, Sorry, Thanks, where he observes that “giving thanks isn’t just looking backward. It’s looking forward with holy anticipation.” He continues, “Your focus determines your reality. The best way to fix your focus is to count your blessings. Your external circumstances may not change, but your internal attitude will.”¹
Modern life often seems to encourage the opposite attitude.
We are invited to complain about almost everything. Organisations provide complaints procedures, customer surveys, review platforms, and feedback mechanisms. We complain about the weather, our neighbours, governments, workplaces – and increasingly, about the church, its leaders, and its processes.
While accountability is both necessary and biblical, gratitude remains an essential characteristic of healthy Christian living.
At times, we even complain to God. When our expectations go unmet, disappointment can easily replace thanksgiving.
Perhaps, instead, we should pause and count our blessings.
That was certainly the experience of one of Christianity’s greatest hymn writers.
In 1739, Charles Wesley penned the now-famous words:
“O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise.”
Few realise these words originally appeared as the seventh verse of an eighteen-stanza poem entitled For the Anniversary Day of One’s Conversion. Imagine singing all eighteen verses during Sabbath worship today!
The hymn emerged from an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Wesley discovered that when someone has truly experienced God’s saving grace, one voice simply seems insufficient to express heartfelt thanksgiving.
Centuries earlier, the anonymous writer of Psalm 116 experienced the very same holy frustration.
Having been delivered from death itself, the psalmist asks one of Scripture’s most profound questions:
“What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” (Psalm 116:12).
How do we ever repay a debt that has saved our lives?
The beauty of Psalm 116 is that the writer recognises such a debt can never be repaid. Instead, he offers a five-fold response that becomes a beautiful blueprint for every grateful believer.
1. The Paradox of Receiving: Lifting the Cup
“I will take the cup of salvation…” (Psalm 116:13).
The psalmist’s first response may seem surprising. Before giving anything back to God, he simply receives.
In the ancient Near East, offering a cup symbolised hospitality, provision, and acceptance. Lifting the “cup of salvation” became a public declaration that deliverance had come entirely from God.
We cannot enrich God through our achievements or our generosity. The greatest honour we can give Him is to receive His gift of salvation with humble gratitude.
Paul echoes this truth:
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
2. Living in Dependence Upon God
“…and call upon the name of the Lord” (Psalm 116:13, 17).
One might expect that after being rescued, the psalmist would become self-sufficient.
Instead, gratitude draws him into deeper dependence.
He refuses to treat God as an emergency service, consulted only in moments of crisis. Having experienced God’s faithfulness, he commits himself to a lifelong rhythm of prayer, continually returning to the One who hears and answers.
3. Living with Integrity
“I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all His people” (Psalm 116:14, 18).
During times of distress, many people make promises to God.
The psalmist refuses to forget those promises once the crisis has passed.
His gratitude is demonstrated through integrity.
Even more significantly, he fulfils his vows publicly. His testimony becomes an encouragement to others, strengthening the faith of the wider community through visible obedience.
4. Offering Joyful Worship
“I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving…” (Psalm 116:17).
Under the Old Testament sacrificial system, the thanksgiving offering was unique.
Unlike offerings brought for sin, this sacrifice was entirely voluntary. It expressed pure joy and gratitude for God’s goodness.
The psalmist reminds us that worship is not merely about seeking God’s help during difficult times. It is about celebrating who God is.
Gratitude naturally overflows into worship.
5. Offering a Yielded Life
“O Lord, truly I am thy servant… thou hast loosed my bonds” (Psalm 116:16).
Having been released from the bonds of death, the psalmist willingly embraces another set of bonds – the joyful service of his Redeemer.
His greatest act of thanksgiving is not found in words but in surrender.
His life no longer belongs to himself.
It belongs to the One who redeemed him.
This remains the highest expression of gratitude for every believer today.
A Thousand Tongues Still Would Not Be Enough
When Charles Wesley longed for “a thousand tongues,” he understood exactly what the writer of Psalm 116 had experienced.
Human language will always fall short of fully expressing the grace of God.
We cannot repay our salvation.
But we can respond.
We can lift the cup of salvation with grateful hearts.
We can deepen our prayer life.
We can honour our commitments.
We can worship with joyful thanksgiving.
And we can offer our lives in willing service to the One who has given us immeasurably more than we could ever deserve.
Perhaps that is what true gratitude looks like – not simply saying “thank you,” but living every day as a joyful response to God’s amazing grace.
¹Mark Batterson, Please, Sorry, Thanks: The Three Words That Change Everything (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2023), pp. 128-129.
“Please.” “Sorry.” “Thank you.”
Three of the most powerful words in any language.
New York Times bestselling author Mark Batterson uses these three simple expressions as the title of his book, Please, Sorry, Thanks, where he observes that “giving thanks isn’t just looking backward. It’s looking forward with holy anticipation.” He continues, “Your focus determines your reality. The best way to fix your focus is to count your blessings. Your external circumstances may not change, but your internal attitude will.”¹
Modern life often seems to encourage the opposite attitude.
We are invited to complain about almost everything. Organisations provide complaints procedures, customer surveys, review platforms, and feedback mechanisms. We complain about the weather, our neighbours, governments, workplaces – and increasingly, about the church, its leaders, and its processes.
While accountability is both necessary and biblical, gratitude remains an essential characteristic of healthy Christian living.
At times, we even complain to God. When our expectations go unmet, disappointment can easily replace thanksgiving.
Perhaps, instead, we should pause and count our blessings.
That was certainly the experience of one of Christianity’s greatest hymn writers.
In 1739, Charles Wesley penned the now-famous words:
“O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise.”
Few realise these words originally appeared as the seventh verse of an eighteen-stanza poem entitled For the Anniversary Day of One’s Conversion. Imagine singing all eighteen verses during Sabbath worship today!
The hymn emerged from an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Wesley discovered that when someone has truly experienced God’s saving grace, one voice simply seems insufficient to express heartfelt thanksgiving.
Centuries earlier, the anonymous writer of Psalm 116 experienced the very same holy frustration.
Having been delivered from death itself, the psalmist asks one of Scripture’s most profound questions:
“What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” (Psalm 116:12).
How do we ever repay a debt that has saved our lives?
The beauty of Psalm 116 is that the writer recognises such a debt can never be repaid. Instead, he offers a five-fold response that becomes a beautiful blueprint for every grateful believer.
1. The Paradox of Receiving: Lifting the Cup
“I will take the cup of salvation…” (Psalm 116:13).
The psalmist’s first response may seem surprising. Before giving anything back to God, he simply receives.
In the ancient Near East, offering a cup symbolised hospitality, provision, and acceptance. Lifting the “cup of salvation” became a public declaration that deliverance had come entirely from God.
We cannot enrich God through our achievements or our generosity. The greatest honour we can give Him is to receive His gift of salvation with humble gratitude.
Paul echoes this truth:
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
2. Living in Dependence Upon God
“…and call upon the name of the Lord” (Psalm 116:13, 17).
One might expect that after being rescued, the psalmist would become self-sufficient.
Instead, gratitude draws him into deeper dependence.
He refuses to treat God as an emergency service, consulted only in moments of crisis. Having experienced God’s faithfulness, he commits himself to a lifelong rhythm of prayer, continually returning to the One who hears and answers.
3. Living with Integrity
“I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all His people” (Psalm 116:14, 18).
During times of distress, many people make promises to God.
The psalmist refuses to forget those promises once the crisis has passed.
His gratitude is demonstrated through integrity.
Even more significantly, he fulfils his vows publicly. His testimony becomes an encouragement to others, strengthening the faith of the wider community through visible obedience.
4. Offering Joyful Worship
“I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving…” (Psalm 116:17).
Under the Old Testament sacrificial system, the thanksgiving offering was unique.
Unlike offerings brought for sin, this sacrifice was entirely voluntary. It expressed pure joy and gratitude for God’s goodness.
The psalmist reminds us that worship is not merely about seeking God’s help during difficult times. It is about celebrating who God is.
Gratitude naturally overflows into worship.
5. Offering a Yielded Life
“O Lord, truly I am thy servant… thou hast loosed my bonds” (Psalm 116:16).
Having been released from the bonds of death, the psalmist willingly embraces another set of bonds – the joyful service of his Redeemer.
His greatest act of thanksgiving is not found in words but in surrender.
His life no longer belongs to himself.
It belongs to the One who redeemed him.
This remains the highest expression of gratitude for every believer today.
A Thousand Tongues Still Would Not Be Enough
When Charles Wesley longed for “a thousand tongues,” he understood exactly what the writer of Psalm 116 had experienced.
Human language will always fall short of fully expressing the grace of God.
We cannot repay our salvation.
But we can respond.
We can lift the cup of salvation with grateful hearts.
We can deepen our prayer life.
We can honour our commitments.
We can worship with joyful thanksgiving.
And we can offer our lives in willing service to the One who has given us immeasurably more than we could ever deserve.
Perhaps that is what true gratitude looks like – not simply saying “thank you,” but living every day as a joyful response to God’s amazing grace.
¹Mark Batterson, Please, Sorry, Thanks: The Three Words That Change Everything (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2023), pp. 128-129.
