Reading: Psalm 105:1-6 and 37-45

Psalm 105:4 – “Pursue the Lord and his strength; seek his face always!”

Psalm 105 spans a vast swath of Israel’s history. The author recounts God’s acts on Israel’s behalf from the time of Abraham through their entry into the Promised Land. The Psalm, however, does not recount every act of God recorded in the scriptures. In this Psalm we find more of a highlight reel. Our remembrance of God’s activity in our life usually works the same way. We quickly recall the big blessings and the great rescues. But when we put in some effort, when we really reflect on our journey of faith, we realize that there are many more times when God became present to us – many more than on our highlight reel.

In the second half of our reading, the psalmist recounts the time just after the final plague through Joshua leading Israel through the Jordan River. The author also recalls the manna and quail and the water from a rock. These are but four of many times that God was present and active during their time in the wilderness. The psalmist does not include the golden calf and other rebellion, grumbling, and complaining. If we told our whole story of faith, we’d have stories like these too. The times of sin, of no faith, of struggle – all parts of our journey that shape and form us into who God created us to be.

Verses 1-6 are mostly about praising God for all that God has done for Israel. But tucked in these verses is a great encouragement: “Pursue the Lord and his strength; seek his face always!” In life, we naturally do this in the highs and lows. But life is mostly lived in between. So we need to be intentional about pursuing and seeking God regularly. We pursue God by creating times and places set apart for daily time with God. It can be a quiet time in the morning. It can be worship on Sunday. We seek God by being intentional about pausing at moments throughout our day to reflect on God’s presence in that day. Maybe it is a quick moment of thanksgiving before your meals. Maybe it is on the commute. May we all be intentional about pursuing and seeking the Lord our God.

Prayer: Lord God, we praise you for the many ways that you have been with your people through the ages. And we praise you and offer our thanksgiving for your involvement in our daily lives. Lead and guide us to see you often, bringing us to spontaneous moments of praise. Amen.