Today’s reading is Exodus 7-9, Psalms 105, and Ephesians 1
Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; proclaim his deeds among the people.
Psalms 105:1
Some people are just naturally able to give thanks to God for everything. But, for most of us, we need to practice giving thanks. We need to learn to be more thankful. It is easy to be thankful for the good things, but we need to learn to give thanks even when we are in a hard spot (or when it is 0 degrees outside).
Psalm 105 recounts the works of God. There are 4 main accounts that David recalls “the wonderous works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced” (verse 5). We are to give thanks to God because of the deeds he has done and His wonderous works.
*The first account is found in verses 8-15. David recalls the story of Abraham and how God made a promise to his people to give them the land of Canaan. This reminds us that God kept his covenant promise with Abraham. We shall praise Him because God keeps His promises.
*The second account is found in verses 16-25. These verses focus on the story of Joseph being sold into slavery and then the rescuing of God’s people. These verses remind us that God is a rescuing God. Thank You God that you still rescue us today.
*The third account is found in verses 26-42. Part of this account is taken from our reading today in Exodus 7-9. Moses and Aaron plead with Pharaoh to Let the People Go. Because Pharaoh does not listen to what Moses has to say, different plagues affect the land and the people. Eventually, this is the story of Moses and how he rescued God’s people from Egypt. We can praise God and give thanks because he leads us. In verse 42 we see God’s people entering into the promised land. God is to be praised because He remembered his holy promise to Abraham. We praise God because He remembers His promises to us.
*Finally, we see the fourth account in the final verses of Psalm 105.
He brought his people out with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy. He gave them the lands of the nations, and they inherited what other peoples had worked for.
Psalms 105:43-44
This is what God did for His people. He has done wondrous things. There is ample reason to give thanks for what He has done.
Psalms 105 reminds us of what God has done. When we have trouble praising God in our days, we can praise him for what he has already done. We can remember that He keeps His promises, He rescues us, He leads us, and He remembers His promises to us. Ultimately, we can praise Him for allowing His son to die on the cross for us. We have a life in eternity promised to us when we put our faith in Him.
Praise Jesus, give thanks to Him.