Wonderful Acts
Scripture
1 Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
2 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4 Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.
5 Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
6 you his servants, the descendants of Abraham,
his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.
7 He is the Lord our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He remembers his covenant forever,
the promise he made, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.
10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
11 “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion you will inherit.” (Psalm 105:1-11).
Reflection
A team of actors were just about to perform, with five minutes remaining until curtain. What did they do? They huddled. Having performed in a number of off-Broadway productions, I remember how important those huddles were. There were no last-minute line drills or vocal exercises; in these huddles, we reflected on God’s faithfulness in our past shows and prayed for his blessing on the current performance.
The Israelites were encouraged to remember what God had provided—the wonderful things he had done—his miracles, his promises kept, his protection, his provisions. We, too, need to remember what God had done, not just in Scripture, but in our own lives. Like the Israelites, recounting God’s acts helps us remember that we have been chosen by God. We are his and all of his promises belong to us. Remembering gives us courage to stand fast, gives us reason to hope, gives us cause for praise.
Psalm 105:1–2 tells us: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.” As we honor and worship God, there is significant additional purpose in our praise. Our praises proclaim his name, they can make known to others what he has done. Our testimonies to God’s goodness are in the praises we offer—testimonies God uses in the lives of others to draw them to himself.
As I think back to our huddles, I remember how good it was to look back on our past performances. It was especially encouraging because the plays’ first and second acts were actually about God’s wonderful acts. While we needed to prepare our scripts for our parts, it’s encouraging to know that God’s wonderful acts don’t require our preparations and scripts. He has a plan, he carries out his purposes and invites us to look to him and his strength as we follow him with praise.
This Lenten season, take time to remember and reflect on God’s wonderful acts. Take time to consider who you are because Christ died and was raised for you. Take time to consider how your praises not only bless your God, but also are used by him for his glory.
Prayer
Dear Father in heaven, thank you for your wonderful acts in our lives. May we never forget who we are in Christ. As we remember, use our praises for the glory of your kingdom. Amen.
2024 Lenten Journey
Adrian Brown