God’s Unending Faithfulness
Julie Hinz
Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done. Psalm 105:1 (NIV)
Psalm 105 is more a historical review than anything else, but one with a very specific point. In the first 5 verses we are given the direction to “do” some very specific things. The faithful of God are called upon to give thanks, call on God, make known his deeds sing, rejoice, seek God, remember all God has done. This is all good, right, and salutary. But without verses 6-41, it’s just another directive.
These middle verses give us the “why” as they trace God’s loving faithfulness and his everlasting covenant with his people. We are reminded of Moses, Aaron, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph. We are taken to Canaan, and into exile, we wander the desert, face famine, slavery, plagues. All those familiar stories and more are referenced in these verses as we remember the God who kept the promises made to the beloved lost Israel.
Throughout history God remembered. God rescued. God saved.
God’s people rebelled. They sinned. They denied. They fought against the law set down for them.
Today that rebellion continues.
And God still remains steadfast.
And so, while the center of this psalm and sometimes the center of our lives often feel like chaos, anxiety, fear, etc., the beginning and the end, what bookends our lives is God’s unending faithfulness. Thus, we make a necessary response. To praise, to remember, to tell, and to live joyfully and freely under the law and providence of our gracious God.
Steadfast God, you are our Alpha and our Omega, our beginning and our end. Give us hearts to recognize your love and faithfulness played out in our own history. Give us lips to sing your praise, mouths to speak your promises, and feet that hurry to do your will. May we continue to choose to live in your law and in the joy it brings. Amen.
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