Monday Devotional: August 7, 2023

Bible Reading: Psalm 105:1-6 (NRSVUE)

¹ O give thanks to the Lord; call on his name; make known his deeds among the peoples. ² Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works. ³ Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. ⁴ Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually. ⁵ Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles and the judgments he has uttered, ⁶ O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

In 2003, as the United States waged its “shock and awe” campaign against Baghdad, I was with a Christian Peacemaker Team delegation to Iraq, praying for an end to the madness of bomb after earth-shaking bomb. One morning after a blast, team members walked down the street to talk with neighbors and assess the damage. Some of the team members stood on the sidewalk taking pictures. A police car drove by, stopped, and asked what citizens of the country that was dropping bombs on their city were doing on the street snapping pictures. We were all arrested and driven to a local police station. As team members sat together in that place, all wondering what might happen to us, someone in the group started singing, “Paul and Silas bound in jail / ain’t nobody to post their bail.” I joined in, glad to sing a song that both named our predicament and reminded us that we were not alone.

Scholars tell us that most of the Psalms in scripture were recorded in their present form when Israel was exiled to Babylon. Sitting together in bondage, wondering about their future, they started to sing. The call to extol God’s deeds among the nations in our psalm today is a song of hope designed to lift God’s people above their present struggle. It invites divine light to shine on our darkness. The psalmist addresses his people who seem to be suffering from spiritual amnesia. They have forgotten their past and the ways God has upheld them. These opening verses call the people to wonder and praise. When we fall prey to spiritual amnesia, may we sing and recount the mighty works of God on our behalf.

Prayer

Lord, shone the light of your glory in this present darkness that we might press on in hope. Amen.

By Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, The Upper Room Disciplines 2014, page 262.