Psalm 106
October 15, 2023
O Lord, may we not forget your works. Your Old Covenant people forgot your great deliverance from Egypt. How can we, your New Covenant people, forget your deliverance of us through Jesus Christ—deliverance from bondage to sin, death, hell, Satan, and the world?
Yet at times we do forget. We rebel. We refuse to believe your words. We withhold your praise. We sin, we commit iniquity; we live wickedly, out of line with your word.
But your great work through Christ—his life and death and resurrection—is greater than our sin. In him you have brought us the favor, the spiritual prosperity, the gladness that this psalmist predicts and longs for. As we have been learning in the book of Acts, you have poured out your Holy Spirit on your people. The Spirit of the living God lives in us. You are renewing us, forming Christ in us, making us holy, making us like your Son. Carry on that work, Lord, for the sake of your name. May we experience it in ever greater measure in our lives. May we, as this psalm says, observe justice and do righteousness at all times. May our lifestyle be profoundly different from the world, profoundly attractive to the world.
And in light of your past deliverance in Christ and your future deliverance when he returns, may we live lives of praise. What a wonderful reality that your greatness and your deeds cannot fully be praised! You are above and beyond our praise, yet you invite us to revel in you with our limited grasp of the greatness of your character and works. Be pleased with our faltering praises. Keep increasing them in our life together.
Our hearts are heavy, Lord, this morning, as we have tracked with news coming out of the Mideast this week. We pray for our fellow believers, our brothers and sisters in Christ among the Israelis and the Palestinians. Amid this unimaginable trauma, protect them, embolden them, raise them up to represent you and to minister to their neighbors in unique ways that display Jesus and his light in a very dark time. Grant peace, Lord, through the Prince of Peace.
We pray for needs in our congregation today: healing from injury and illness; grace for ministering to special needs; strength in caring for aging parents; wisdom in raising young children; fruitfulness in discipling pre-teens and teens. Give wisdom and guidance to our elders. Bless the Nelsons on this wedding-related special weekend. And teach us and equip us to look at life and live out life from your perspective as we journey through the NT book of Acts. Even in today’s passage and sermon, minister to us through your Holy Spirit.
We give your glad praise, Lord, for your great deeds, past, present, and future. In the name of your Son, Jesus. And all God’s people said, “Amen.”