The Bible calls on men, women, and children to praise God. In fact the book of Psalms closes with the words "Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord."
This Biblical exhortation found a response in me when I was introduced to the Scriptures as a child. So it followed that while I was still a pupil in the Christian Science Sunday School, it became important to me to give a testimony of healing at a Wednesday evening meeting. I doubted my ability to do this successfully, but in the end I discovered that expressing gratitude is an act of love.
My nation's king was greatly loved, and I cherished the desire to be the child flower-presenter when he presided at an international horse show in my neighborhood. While I was contemplating this, it occurred to me that if I could offer gratitude to my king in an acceptable manner, I was fully capable of offering gratitude to God graciously. These words of the Psalmist kept coming to me: "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? ... I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people."
