May 3 (Daily reading: Psalms 106-107) The psalmist asked: “Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD or fully declare his praise?” (106:2). He asked this because, as he went on to say, “We have sinned, even as our ancestors did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly” (106:6). He then described God’s many miraculous acts and the shortcomings of God’s people. These included exchanging God’s glory for a golden calf, grumbling and disobeying, rebelling against God and adopting the customs of unbelievers, even worshipping their idols.
We can be guilty of doing something they did: “Then they believed his promises and sang his praise. But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold” (vv. 12-13). Sunday, we can sing God’s praises, but on Monday, forget His faithfulness and on Tuesday, become impatient and refuse to wait for Him to reveal to us His plans.
But we must take note of the same three words that begin and end this psalm: “Praise the LORD!” Praise Him, yes, because of His love, and His grace despite our sin and unfaithfulness. “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever” (v. 1). “Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, ‘Amen!’” (v. 48). We do not have to overcome our sin and clean ourselves up to praise Him! We come just as we are with praise which includes confessing sin and receiving forgiveness.
Four times in Psalm 107, the refrain is repeated: “Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind” (vv. 8, 15, 21, 31). Our response to these psalms? “Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story” (107:2). We all have a story to share!
– Al Gary
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