The Psalm starts out like this...
Psalm 105
1 Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
Let the whole world know what he has done.
2 Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
3 Exult in his holy name;
rejoice, you who worship the Lord.
4 Search for the Lord and for his strength;
continually seek him.
5 Remember the wonders he has performed,
his miracles, and the rulings he has given,
6 you children of his servant Abraham,
you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.
2 Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
3 Exult in his holy name;
rejoice, you who worship the Lord.
4 Search for the Lord and for his strength;
continually seek him.
5 Remember the wonders he has performed,
his miracles, and the rulings he has given,
6 you children of his servant Abraham,
you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.
Give thanks.
Sing His praises.
Exult His name.
Search for Him.
Remember Him.
All reminders to the chosen people, the Israelites. Then the psalm goes on to remind them of the covenant God had with His people through Abraham and his descendants. The psalmist goes on to speak about a huge piece of their history, the time they spent in Egypt and making their way back to the Promised Land. Many highlights of God's provision and deliverance is given during the remainder of this psalm. It was all happening because of a covenant (a solemn promise) made to Abraham and his descendants.
Nice. But where am I going with this?
The final verse of this psalm jumped out at me. It's easy to overlook after thinking about all the other things that happened to the Israelites--promises made, promises kept.
45 All this happened so they would follow his decrees
and obey his instructions. Praise the Lord!
and obey his instructions. Praise the Lord!
The words ALL THIS HAPPENED SO is what caught my attention. I always want to know WHY things happen (I've talked about that before) so I guess that's why I noticed those words this time. Those words said to me, Pay attention, Kristi. So I reread that verse. All of those things in verses 1-44 happened for God's purposes and to teach the people God's ways. God wasn't handing out snow cones in the desert simply because the people were His sweet, little children. They didn't always do the right thing. In fact, they often did the wrong thing. God loved them anyway. He provided regardless. He allowed certain things to happen to them--all under His watchful eye--so that they would learn to love God, trust Him, and obey Him. Praise Yahweh!
Just another reminder to me that everything I go through, the good and the bad, is all part of God's plan. It's all about Him so that I can glorify God and point others toward Christ.
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