Daily Devotional • August 19
Psalm 106:1-18
1 Praise the Lord!
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Who can utter the mighty doings of the Lord
or declare all his praise?
3 Happy are those who observe justice,
who do righteousness at all times.
4 Remember us, O Lord, when you show favor to your people;
help us when you deliver them,
5 that we may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,
that we may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
that we may glory in your heritage.
6 Both we and our ancestors have sinned;
we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly.
7 Our ancestors, when they were in Egypt,
did not consider your wonderful works;
they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love
but rebelled against the Most High at the Red Sea.
8 Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,
so that he might make known his mighty power.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry;
he led them through the deep as through a desert.
10 So he saved them from the hand of the foe
and delivered them from the hand of the enemy.
11 The waters covered their adversaries;
not one of them was left.
12 Then they believed his words;
they sang his praise.
13 But they soon forgot his works;
they did not wait for his counsel.
14 But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness
and put God to the test in the desert;
15 he gave them what they asked
but sent a wasting disease among them.
16 They were jealous of Moses in the camp
and of Aaron, the holy one of the Lord.
17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan
and covered the faction of Abiram.
18 Fire also broke out in their company;
the flame burned up the wicked.
Meditation
“Who can declare the mighty acts of the Lord and show forth all his praise?” When I first read verse two of Psalm 106, I thought “Well, we can. Is it not our calling as Christians to proclaim the works of God to the world?” What a silly question for the psalmist to ask. But it appears it is not that simple. We cannot just will ourselves to declare all that God has done for us, we need God to show us and remind us.
We cannot proclaim the mighty acts of God without God first opening our lips. God gives us reason to praise. God has worked and continues to work in our lives to bring deliverance, hope, and new life to us. This is how we are able to turn to God in praise: God has given us reason to praise. When we pray “Lord open our lips and our mouths shall proclaim your praise,” we are attesting to this truth. We need God to open our lips by first opening our eyes to see what God has already done.
At times, however, we are quick to forget how God has and is working in our lives. I sometimes find myself in cycles of forgetfulness where I forget to consider all that God has done for me. This cycle is familiar to the psalmist as they recall the forgetfulness of the Israelites (v 13). So the psalmist appeals to our God who never forgets us saying, “Remember me, O Lord, with the favor you have for your people, help us when you deliver them” (v 4).
We serve a God who not only remembers us in our forgetfulness but also a God who will remind us of why we serve and praise God. Thanks be to God.
Steven McCain serves at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church and St. Timothy’s School in Raleigh, North Carolina. He lives in the Raleigh area with his wife, Elizabeth, and two sons, Benjamin and James.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
The Diocese of Ifo – The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)
St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia