Asaph therefore highlights just one sacrifice as essential: “Offer to God thanksgiving” (Ps. 50:14). Literally, he says, “make a thank offering.” According to OT law, a thank offering was offered in the context of a believer’s gratitude, when a person was grateful for deliverance from enemies or for healing or for some other answered prayer. A thank offering acknowledged to God that you were indebted to His generosity and kindness. Still today, that is what God seeks: a people who are moved by His great love in Christ, and who want to love Him in return.

What do you get for the person who has everything?

This is the problem whenever world leaders get together. Say the president of the United States has hosted the prime minister of Canada for a few days of high-level talks. When the PM leaves, it would be discourteous not to give the president a thank-you gift. But what’s a suitable present for the most powerful person in the world, someone with no shortage of earthly resources?

We experience a similar problem when thanking God.

We ought to worship God for all He has given us in Christ. But what worthwhile thing could we ever present? The almighty God doesn’t need our prayers, songs, or gifts. So how should we regard our gratitude to the Lord? 

In Psalm 50 Asaph instructs us about the true spirit of thanksgiving. In the psalm’s background is the Israelite practice of bringing a variety of gifts to God at the temple. God wanted these sacrifices, for He told His people to bring fellowship offerings, sin offerings, thank offerings, and guilt offerings.

And for their part, Israel had been scrupulous in worship. God says,

Or your burnt offerings,

Which are continually before Me. (v. 8)

He takes no issue with the outward form of their worship.