Today’s Devotional Thought:
“Save us, LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, so that we may give thanks to your holy name and rejoice in your praise” (Psalm 106:47, CSB).
If you have time to do your evening reading early, I would encourage you to read both of the readings together (Psalm 105 and 106). These psalms I think ought to be read together. Consider both and you will see that the author is using the same technique from two different angles. In Psalm 105, the author says, “Look at all the glorious deeds and wonders our LORD has done! For the patriarchs (v. 9-22), for Israel in Egypt (v.23-36), and for Israel in the desert (v.37-44).”
And then there’s Israel, or at least what they do in Psalm 106. They sin in Egypt (v.6-12), they sin in the desert in multiple ways (v.13-32); they didn’t even conquer the land God promised them (v.34-43). God and the Israelites have a very troubled history. It’s pretty easy to follow their relationship through the Old Testament; both of these psalms summarize most of the narrative of Hebrew Scripture.
It’s because of these two psalms that I find 106:1-5 fascinating. These verses are basically dead center, and they call upon the covenant love that God shows (v.1-3), and for God to remember the psalmist in days of trouble (v.4-5). Why do I know that these are days of trouble? Look at our verse today; see how he ends it: a cry for deliverance. This is actually how Book IV of Psalms ends (Not including the praising of God at the end!).
You might easily make a list of your life a lot like Psalm 106, looking at this sin and that sin, the long history that you have with God. You can spend a long time contemplating the mistakes you have made. What’s interesting is this: the psalmist doesn’t end this history with, “Come on, Israel! Do a better job!” He looks at them crying out to God for deliverance, and God lovingly rescuing them from bondage (v.44-46).
That’s the Gospel right there. That’s what it means for us to be rescued from sin, to turn away from our sin and turn to Jesus as our Savior. When we cry out for deliverance, our holy God is right there to deliver us from sin, but also to thank him and to rejoice in his praise. That’s just another way of saying we are delighting in God for who he is.
Let us rejoice in the fact that God always answers our cries for deliverance, and he doesn’t leave us there. He empowers us to live a transformed life where our happiness is found in God himself!
Ways to Prays:
Father, no matter how long my history of sin and mistakes are, you immediately rescue everyone who cries out to you
You not only rescue us from our sin, but you change our hearts so we can find our greatest joy in you alone
Adoration: You are the faithful, covenant-keeping God from Genesis to Revelation. You even show your same faithful love to us today
Confession: We have not only been like unfaithful Israel in thought, word, and deed, but we often don’t cry out for deliverance found only in you.
Thanksgiving: Thank you, Lord, and help us to realize that you do not rate our cries for help based on emotions, or need, or work. You answer everyone who cries out for deliverance from the bondage of sin.
Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern
Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt