majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Psalm 105:1-5,
"Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the
nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all
his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those
who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his
face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the
judgments he pronounced."
The psalmist tells us to thank the Lord as we call on his name. Thanks
can only be legitimately offered by one who experiences a level of
appreciation for something done on his or her behalf. The level or
intensity of thankfulness can be measured by how highly esteemed the
deed done is to the one giving thanks. In this psalm the deeds of the
Lord done on behalf of the nation of Israel are in view as the cause
of thankfulness. The Lord fulfills his covenant he made with Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob. He provided protection for the patriarchs and a
forerunner for them in Joseph when they sought refuge in Egypt from
famine. The Lord prospered Israel there and eventually brought them
out of their bondage in Egypt. The Lord then provided them the land of
Canaan as their inheritance from the Lord so they could enjoy what
others had worked hard to provide.
I go into this detail to note that the psalmist here follows his own
counsel. He says to "remember the wonders he has done, his miracles
and the judgments he pronounced." Verse 5. This is no mere exercise
for a history student but is to be a pursuit that is marked by
glorying in the Lord, verse 3. With this there should be that which is
heartfelt: rejoicing, verse 3, thanksgiving and praise, verses 1,2 and
45.
The church is told to do the same thing. In Colossians 3:2-3, "Set
your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and
your life is now hidden with Christ in God." We are to remember the
things of the Lord, what he has done, what he is like. In Hebrews
12:2-3 we read, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and
perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the
cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the
throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful
men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
As we gaze upon the Lord, when the inevitable appreciation, adoration
and thankfulness wells up in our hearts, we are to find its expression
in the giving of thanks, in glorying "in his holy name", offering him
praise and making known among all what he has done, telling of "all of
his wonderful acts"! Surely our God is due no less!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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