Remember and Rejoice

In Psalm 105 we read:

O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples.

Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wonderful works.

Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

Not only here in the Psalm – but really throughout all of scripture, there is a sense of enthusiasm – a spark of life that can’t be kept in. In a large sense, our scriptures are stories and poetry that name what God is doing and give praise for what God has done.

Notice the verbs in the Psalm: give thanks, make known, sing, glory, rejoice….

It is widely believed that it was written while the community of faith was living in Exile in Babylon. This Psalm is poetry and may very well have been sung or chanted in worship from a very early time.

In fact, if we were to read this Psalm to the end, it retells the story from Abraham through the Exodus – out of Egypt – God carrying, God rescuing, God saving. We were hungry and you provided. We were oppressed and you set us free. We were thirsty and you brought water from a rock. You carried us out with joy and singing.

Now I just have to imagine that there were people in exile who heard these words, this poetry, this song who were feeling some measure of anxiety; I have to imagine there were people who were worried about their situation and who wondered, “What kind of world will our children grow up in? What will their lives be like?” I have to imagine there were people who were longing for healing: will this diagnosis; this disease, this divorce, this problem get to have the last word in my life? Or is there hope?

And I have to imagine that when this Psalm was read out loud or sung by a congregation, people would hear its overwhelming tone of joy. They would hear the witness of the community over a thousand years. They would hear this powerful reminder that God had moved in their lives in the past, a reminder that we worship a God who rescues, who redeems, who saves. And I have to imagine, these stories, these words would have to give them a measure of hope.

And that is my prayer for each of you today. That you would remember, and hold fast to hope.

Let us pray: Give us open eyes and open hearts that we might notice the beauty of your hand at work in our lives and in this world, even now. Amen.