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You may listen to this devotion in audio form via podcast here.
He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations.
- Psalm 105:8
Today’s psalm is a wonderful reminder of at least one thing that happens when we worship. Of course, when we come to worship there is a lot going on. We sing praise to God. We confess our sins and receive assurance of our pardon in Christ. We hear God’s Word read and proclaimed. We give offerings, lift up our prayers, and receive nourishment at the Lord’s Supper. We spend time in communion with God and in fellowship with each other.
Something else happens when we gather to worship the God of the Bible, this God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That is that we are reminded of this God’s long history of gracious and faithful acts toward his people. Today’s psalm recounts just a portion of that history. We read of the covenant he made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to give them the land of Canaan. We read how he brought the Hebrew people out of Egypt, led them with cloud and fire, fed them with manna and quail, and gave them water. In the midst of slavery, he gave them freedom. In the middle of the wilderness, he took care of all of their needs, and eventually delivered them to the promised land.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we are adopted and grafted into this same covenant family whose history with God is retold here in Psalm 105. This story is also our story. In the midst of our slavery to sin, he gives us freedom. As we wander in the wilderness, he leads us, cares for us, and feeds us. So when we worship we cannot be reminded too much that our God is a saving God. Our God has always been (and always will be) a saving God. If we find ourselves in the midst of suffering, we don’t have to look around in despair and wonder if God is going to come through this time.
He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations.
Thanks be to God!