Call to Remember

I read recently of two elderly women at a church in Kentucky were discussing the problems of growing older.  One lady commented, “The worst thing is when your memory starts to go.  I’ve known you all my life and I can’t think of your name. What is it?”  The second lady thought for a moment and said, “Do you need an answer right now?”

Memory is important!  And we all have memories we share.  We all have a faith story – the way God has worked in our lives.

Psalm 105 is filled with the memory of what God has done for us.  We are reminded of His deeds (v. 1), His “wonderful works” (v. 2), His “miracles” and even his “judgments” (v. 5).  And all of this is based on his covenant, which he remembered forever (v. 8).

We read in v. 1: “Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name.”  This is a call to worship for the people of God!  God deserves this gratitude because he has done wonderful works and because he has remembered his covenant forever (v. 8).  The psalmist continues, “call upon his name.”  This may mean calling out his name, or it may mean calling on his name to answer our prayers.  Just speaking the name of God evokes His presence and His authority.  Knowing His name also assumes we have a personal relationship with Him.

Worship then turns to witness at the end of v. 1: “make known his deeds among the peoples.”  These “deeds” will be made known throughout this psalm.

In v. 2 we are exhorted to “sing to the [Lord].”  And we are called to “tell of all his wonderful works.”  That is to say, we are to tell of all of his supernatural interventions.  We don’t talk about “miracles” very much today; but the Hebrews reveled in them.

I encourage you to consider the question, “Are you aware of God’s hand at work in your faith story?  Do you remember the people who have influenced your life for Christ?  Do you remember the ways your parents, Sunday school teachers, or a dear Christian friend intersected your life just when you needed them?  Then, let us give thanks to the Lord, who remembers his covenant with us – and let us remember His mighty acts in our lives.  (1) Write them down.  (2) Celebrate them.  And (3) share them with others!