Thursday, September 6, 2007

Psalm 106:1-11

106:1 Praise the Lord!Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord,or declare all his praise?
3 Blessed are they who observe justice,who do righteousness at all times!
4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people;help me when you save them,
5 that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones,that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,that I may glory with your inheritance.

6 Both we and our fathers have sinned;we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.
7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt,did not consider your wondrous works;they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
8 Yet he saved them for his name's sake,that he might make known his mighty power.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry,and he led them through the deep as through a desert.
10 So he saved them from the hand of the foeand redeemed them from the power of the enemy.
11 And the waters covered their adversaries;not one of them was left.12 Then they believed his words;they sang his praise.

There are days you get exactly what you need, and today it is that way for me from this Psalm. It begins with praise on how good God is. Yesterday I was hit with the reality of how many mistakes I make, and it got me down. I talk about grace but in reality I have very little for myself when I mess up. So I have been very self focused and reading these praises to God helped me lift my eyes to what is important.

The language used for blessing is one of economic language, prosperity and inheritance. While not only economic, they are terms that have to do with well being finanically. That is encouraging to me, that God is interested in those things. I play a part but at the beginning and end it is not only about my actions, there is more to it.

Then instead of feeling sorry for myself I can enter into true confession like the Psalmist does at verse six. We have messed up, me and my people. I forget or ignore the amazing things God has done in my life in the past. I may have praised you in the moment, but once the next thing comes around I forget.

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