Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love,
    for His wondrous works to the children of man!
For He shatters the doors of bronze
    and cuts in two the bars of iron.

Psalms 107:15-16

The hundred and seventh Psalm begins with an exhortation to us.

Give thanks unto the LORD…
Psalm 107:1

And the basis for this thanksgiving is His goodness and His mercy. Two things that we really should be thankful for: the goodness of God to us, and then God’s mercy unto us. How thankful am I for the mercy of God! Were it not for the mercy of God, where would I be today? Surely not here. But, for his mercy that endures for ever (Psalm 107:1).

Now, as we go through this psalm, the first verse exhorts us to praise. But then the psalm goes on and begins to talk about certain people and their condition. And then we find the ‘oft-repeated phrase’ (in fact, it’s repeated about three times, or four times through the psalm):

Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness,
and His wonderful works to the children of men!

verses 8, 15, 21, and 31

Oh that men would really learn to just praise God for His goodness to us. I think that we reflect too little upon God, because I really don’t think that you can seriously reflect upon God without praising and without thanksgiving. When you really start to reflect on His goodness—on His blessings, on all that He’s done—the praises just sort of come.

I think this verse, the very last verse in the Book of Psalms, encapsulates the message of Psalms 147-150.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Psalm 150:6

It is both an exhortation and a command for every living creature—everything that draws breath—to praise the Lord. Why is the Lord worthy of the praise of all creation? This is spelled out quite clearly in the preceding psalms (147-150).

There appears, then, to be a progression from all creation to the sanctuary as we go through these psalms. One thing is resoundingly clear, however: the praise of God is a necessary requirement upon every living thing: everything that has breath. Men in their sinful ignorance may mock God, and may deny that He is worthy of any worship. These psalms make it abundantly clear that we are so dependent on Him for all that we have, that even those who refuse to acknowledge Him owe Him everything. These psalms help us see our own position before God. We who consider ourselves self-made, independent, creators of our own destiny, crafters of our own world, are nothing more than helpless children before our Maker. We need Him…and the psalms, the Scripture, the gospel demand that we confess this fact.

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Father, we give You praise and honor for what You are, who You are, and who You shall be as You are great today and forever more. We give You praise for the goodness and mercies that follows us all the days of our lives. Thank You for Your love that is unconditional. We give You praise always. In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN!