Joy: Psalm 105

Here are some verses from today's reading that meant a lot to me; they are the bookend verses of Psalm 105:

"Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually" (vv. 4-5).


"So he brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing.
He gave them the lands of the nations, and they took possession of the wealth of the peoples,
that they might keep his statues and observe his laws" (vv. 44-45).

I like the idea of seeking God's presence continually. It reminds me of what we heard in Church this past week: living the Christian life doesn't mean knowing everything, understanding everything, "getting" everything, or doing everything (those will all come in time); it means following a person. Stepping forward. Engaging. Seeking.

It reminds of Job. Clearly Job did not experience the intimate and close presence of God until the very end of the book, and even then it was a more terrible and overwhelming presence. But he sought. He argued his case for an entire book. All he wanted was to entertain God's presence. He was a mess, but he continually sought.

It reminds me of Mary. Mary did not understand how she was going to bear the Son of God, but instead asked, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" But even though she did not understand, she still sought the presence of God. She still allowed the Holy Spirit to start forming the Christ in her womb. She still said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word."

I want to seek the Lord this week even though I am not in tip-top shape. I pray that you all seek his presence as well, because in his presence is his strength.

Finally, I liked verses 44 and 45 because they conclude the psalm nicely. The whole point of this psalm is to show that 1) God is strong and loving, so much so that he saved his people; 2) there is joy when we seek the Lord and God works on our behalf; and 3) we have been saved and delivered for no greater purpose than to keep, observe, and obey God's laws and way of living.

The word that in verse 45 is crucial. It is a purpose word. All of this saving on God's part has been done so that...


Live today in joy and singing, knowing that God has worked on your behalf, knowing that God is coming through on his promises for you--promises of victory, hope, salvation, rest, peace, strength, healing, or faith. And know that our part is to obey and keep the commands. That is how we seek.