538_A celebration of God’s faithfulness

Psalm 105 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
4 Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
5 Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
6 O offspring of Abraham, his servant,
children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

7 He is the Lord our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He remembers his covenant forever,
the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant that he made with Abraham,
his sworn promise to Isaac,
10 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as your portion for an inheritance.”

Vs.43-45 So he brought his people out with joy,
his chosen ones with singing.
44 And he gave them the lands of the nations,
and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples’ toil,
45 that they might keep his statutes
and observe his laws.
Praise the Lord!

An old woman kept a photo album on her shelf. It was a simple leather-bound book with pages that had grown yellow over time. But every page told a story: black-and-white snapshots of their family’s early struggles as immigrants; faded pictures of birthdays celebrated with little more than homemade cake; photographs of graduations, weddings, and grandchildren. Whenever her grandchildren visited her, she would pull the album down, flip through its pages, and recall how God had carried their family through poverty, sickness, and loss—and how He had surprised them with joy, provision, and grace. The album was not just a family history; it was a testimony to God’s faithfulness.

Psalm 105 is a photo album in song. It is a psalm of remembrance, a record of promises made and promises kept—not man’s, but God’s. The psalm passes over Israel’s history, from the call of Abraham to the people’s arrival in the Promised Land. At every turn, the story testifies to God’s steadfast love and His unwavering commitment to His covenant.

The beginning sets the tone for everything that follows: “Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wondrous works!” It is as though the psalmist is passing the family album around, pointing at each page and saying, “Look! See what God has done!”

We make God’s works known not only in church meetings, but in our conversations with friends and neighbors and in our daily lives. The more we remember His marvelous works, the more solid and joyful our faith becomes. Forgetfulness makes us anxious and discouraged, but remembrance strengthens our faith.

Israel’s history reminds us of the covenant God made with Abraham and his descendants. The hearers of this psalm were not just spectators of that covenant; they were heirs of it. And today, through Christ—the seed of Abraham—we too are heirs of that promise by faith. The apostle John reminds us: “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).

The psalm sketches Israel’s story in detail. It speaks of their smallness and weakness, of vulnerability and danger, of hunger and suffering, of persecution and bondage in Egypt. Yet behind every shadow, God is present. He was behind Joseph, who was sold as a slave and imprisoned in iron shackles – until the word of the Lord came and he was set free. Those years were long, but not wasted. His suffering was real, yet it tested and shaped him to become wise and faithful, skilled and mature in faith. He became ready to fulfil his destiny, becoming God’s instrument to save the infant nation from famine.

Not all his wrongs could break Joseph’s restraint. Having been raised to power, he did not harbor revenge on those who had wrongfully imprisoned him. For he saw God behind every incident in his life. All that happened in his life was God’s plan, and he had no doubt at all. He did not see his brothers’ hands in his betrayal and sale as a slave. He saw the majestic God sending him before the rest of his family into Egypt, to prepare the way and save their lives.

For Israel, as for Joseph, even the oppression in Egypt, the slavery and the hatred, was part of the redemption story. God was sovereign. He struck down Egypt and brought out his people laden with treasure. None of them stumbled, for God led them out with a sure hand. The whole nation, including the elderly and frail, were strengthened for the long years ahead, for it was their God who went ahead, sheltering and protecting them, and providing for all their needs, until he fulfilled his promise.

A cloud by day, fire by night, bread from heaven, water from the rock—each provision was a reminder that God remembered His promise to Abraham. And the psalmist sums it all up: “So He brought His people out with joy, His chosen ones with singing.”

Why does God save his people? “That they might keep His statutes and observe His laws.” Faith is the response of the heart that longs for righteousness, to a God who promises righteousness. And such faith longs for deliverance only so that it may fearlessly obey the God of righteousness and thus fulfil its hunger for righteousness. The purpose of God’s deliverance is that his people may serve him without fear, in righteousness and holiness before him all their lives.

For salvation is of the Lord. He called, He sent, He protected, He delivered, He remembered, He fulfilled. Everything is from him, everything is for him, and everything is through him and to him – including the harsh trials and wearying delays.

Our lives, too, are albums filled with snapshots—moments of joy, moments of sorrow, times of waiting, times of breakthrough. When we are in the middle of a difficult chapter, it is hard to see the bigger picture. But Psalm 105 reminds us: God is faithful. He knows the end from the beginning. He is not careless nor absent. He is with us in our pain. He is working out our good according to his sovereign purpose, as Romans 8:28 declares: “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). That doesn’t mean everything feels good, or that we will always understand why things happen. It means we are secure because God always keeps his promises.

As the psalmist recounts God’s works for Israel, let us remember and recount His works in our own lives. Maybe a journal of answered prayers. Maybe telling your children or grandchildren the stories of how God has led you. Maybe prayers of thankfulness. Remembrance transforms fear to trust, complaint to gratitude, despair to hope. Striving to rest. The God of Abraham is faithful to his word. His promises are true in Christ. He will bring his people into his rest, with joy. So let us join the psalmist in praising the Lord.