“His Deeds Among the Peoples” (Ps 105)

“Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord” (vs1-3)!

Jesus Christ has cared for us and shepherded us our whole life long. He's CHOSEN to save us, kept His promise, and DELIVERED us from great distresses, trying our patience by His word, but fulfilling it miraculously in the end. He says, “He is Lord our God; His judgments are in all the earth. He remembers His covenant forever, the word which He commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac, and confirmed it to Jacob for a statue, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, 'To you I will give the land of Canaan as the allotment of your inheritance', when they were few in number, indeed very few, and strangers in it” (vs8-12) . Look at Israel's salvation, and see your own: it is promised and performed by God, miraculously, even though we go through difficulties and hardships that try us. He says, “When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people, He permitted no one to do them wrong; Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes, saying, Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm” (vs13-15). The promise is good and the word is true: believe it, praise the Lord, and rejoice.

First, God's promises are good. It may appear as if the promises are invalid, and you won't have them, as if it is a lie, even as Joseph is prisoner for no wrong of his own, forgotten, and left in bondage when promised dominion. He says, “He sent a man before them – Joseph – who was sold a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons. Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him” (vs17-19). The Lord's word purified, caused him to hope against hope, and came to pass after many years of endurance. Then, He miraculously brought Joseph out of prison, even as He delivers us from harm. He says, “The king sent and released him. The ruler of the people let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions” (vs20-21). We'll conquer every obstacle that impedes God's promises, even as Israel escaped the dominion of Egypt. We are more than conquerors through Christ.

Don't be distressed because you can't see the end from the beginning. He says, “Israel also came into Egypt, and Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham,. He increased His people greatly, and made them stronger than their enemies. He turned their heart to hate His people, to deal craftily with His servants. He sent Moses His servant, and Aaron whom He had chosen. They performed His signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham” (vs23-27). Don't let present pain or hardship cloud the promise, as if it is no good. Your trouble in no way stops God from fulfilling what He has said, be it your earthly circumstance or your warfare with sin. He says, “He sent darkness, and made it dark; and they did not rebel against His word. He turned their waters into blood, and killed their fish. Their land abounded with frogs, even in the chambers of their kings. He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and lice in all their territory. He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire int their land. He struck their vines also, and their fig trees, and splintered the trees of their territory. He spoke, and locusts came, young locusts without number, and ate up all the vegetation in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground. He also destroyed all the firstborn in their land, the first of all their strength” (vs28-36). There is NOTHING God has said that He won't do, but that doesn't mean that it will appear as if it is sure. Often, the promises appear doubtful, impossible even, but if you believe God, they shall surely come to pass. Even if you have tiny faith with great unbelief, He will assuredly do what He has said, but only by FAITH can you enjoy it ahead of time.

Praise the Lord for His greatness to you. He has been faithful, taking you as His people by His own will, and even when you were unable to save yourself, bound, and full of grief, He was working everything for you. “For He remembered His holy promise,and Abraham His servant. He brought out His people with joy, His chosen one with gladness. He gave them the lands of the Gentiles, and they inherited the labor of the nations, that they might observe His statutes and keep His laws. Praise the Lord” (vs42-45)! In the hour appointed, He MIRACULOUSLY saved you, subdued sin by the Spirit, and provides for your earthly needs in your distresses. He says, “He also brought then out with silver and gold, and there was none feeble among His tribes. Egypt was glad when they departed, for the fear of them had fallen upon them. He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light in the night. The people asked, and He brought quail, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven. He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it ran in the dry places like a river” (vs37-39). He has protected you, and when He brings promises to pass, praise Him for who He is. Love the Lord. Say “Thanks” and “Amen” to Jesus Christ.

The gospel isn't an easy race, where we read the bible and get things immediately. But, everything He says, He is praised for, because He will do it. Praise Him ahead of time, like when Israel went out in the days of Jehoshaphat, singing the Lord's praise before the battle happened, ensuring their response was fitting to the promises they'd received (2 Chron 20). You and I don't have to know how things will end, but we know it will be for us, for our benefit, and EXACTLY as He has said.