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Scripture: Psalm 105.1-6, 37-45 (NAB)
1 Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name; make known among the peoples his deeds! 2Sing praise, play music; proclaim all his wondrous deeds! 3Glory in his holy name; rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD! 4Rely on the mighty LORD; constantly seek his face. 5Recall the wondrous deeds he has done, his signs and his words of judgment, 6You descendants of Abraham his servant, offspring of Jacob the chosen one!
37He brought his people out, laden with silver and gold; no stragglers among the tribes. 38Egypt rejoiced when they left, for panic had seized them. 39He spread a cloud as a cover, and made a fire to light up the night. 40They asked and he brought them quail; with bread from heaven he filled them. 41He split the rock and water gushed forth; it flowed through the desert like a river. 42For he remembered his sacred word to Abraham his servant. 43He brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with shouts of triumph. 44He gave them the lands of the nations, the wealth of the peoples to own, 45That they might keep his laws and observe his teachings. Hallelujah!
Comments
A Welsh preparing to be a doctor, William Williams (1717-1791), committed to Christ on hearing Howell Harris, an itinerant evangelist, preach. Williams, too, became a traveling evangelist, preaching and singing all over Wales.
Williams penned a song that appeared in a hymnal in England in 1745. The hymn was "Strength to Pass Through the Wilderness." Later, the song received the title by which it is popular today, "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah." Williams used the wilderness wanderings of the Hebrews as a type of the Christian journey. The Christian is a "Pilgrim thru this barren land," but while "I am weak, Thou art mighty." Williams prays “hold me with thy powerful hand” and “lead me all my journey through.” He is assured God will lead him into Canaan and declares, “Songs of praises/songs of praises/I will ever give to thee/ I will ever give to thee.”
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Psalm 105, likewise, stresses the providence of God. God is shown faithful to the promise of land in the covenant with Abraham. Focus on the loyalty of God is accented by lack of reference to the response of Israel. Psalm 106, which forms a couplet with Psalm 105, sets forth the disloyalty of the people. The loyalty of God is the concern of this psalm.
We, too, are a pilgrim people living under the promise of God. The Holy Spirit encourages us on pilgrimage with the words of Jesus, “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (John 14.18, NAB). We live in the promise, “And I will be with you until the end of the age” (Matthew 28.20b, NAB). We, in communal worship, celebrate salvation history and are reminded God goes with us and in us by the Holy Spirit. We can feel alone, but we are never alone. God keeping covenant with us is the ground for our joining our ancestors in "Hallelujah!" (Psalm 105.45b, NAB).
Suggestion for Meditation: Reflect on ways God has guided you in your Christian journey.
*OneLife writings are offered by Brian K. Wilcox, a United Methodist pastor serving in the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. He writes in the spirit of John Wesley's focus on the priority of inner experience of the Triune God; scriptural holiness; ongoing sanctification; the goal of Christian perfection (or, wholeness). Brian seeks to integrate the best of the contemplative teachings of Christianity East and West, from the patristic Church to the present. Brian lives a vowed contemplative life with his two dogs, Bandit Ty and St. Francis, in North Florida. OneLife writings are for anyone seeking to live and share love, joy, and peace in the world and in devotion to God as she or he best understands God.
*Brian's book An Ache for Union, a book of poems on mystical union with God through love, can be ordered through major on-line booksellers.
The Grace of Christ be with All!
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