Steve DeNeff - How to Say, ’Thank You'. Saying “thank you” is one of the first things we learn as a child, yet the words can seem shallow when there is lots to be thankful for. Perhaps that is the plight of most, even poor Americans. The more we have, the more we notice what we don’t have. Yet “thanksgiving” and “praise” v.4) mean something different in the Psalms. Here they are not just words, but rituals. They are not just manners, but ways of life. What if saying “thank you” is more than good etiquette; what if it’s good therapy? And what if it changes more than our attitude; what if it actually changes the outcome? At the heart of Israel’s worship (v.2) is the knowledge that we belong to God (v.3) and that it is his nature to take care of his own (v.5).