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“search the scriptures” John 5:39
‘O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people’, Ps. 105. 1
I am no musician. However, I am told that in western music a chord needs at least three notes and, if you will excuse the reference to a homophone, I do know from my Bible that the preacher declares that ‘a threefold cord is not quickly broken’, Eccles. 4. 12.
In Psalm 105 verse 1, the psalmist strikes three notes that, together, form a beautiful chord of Christian living: a thankful heart; a dependent life; and a public witness.
‘O give thanks unto the Lord’. Whilst circumstances can be occasions for appreciation, our gratitude should not be tied solely to them. True thankfulness must be anchored in the character of our God. Job, in the midst of loss, declared, ‘The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord’, Job 1. 21. When Israel forgot God’s works, they grumbled, but when they remembered, they sang, Exod. 16. 2, 3; 15. 1. A thankful heart in every circumstance remembers God’s goodness and responds in praise.
‘Call upon his name’. To call is to cry for help, to admit need. God’s name represents His character, promises, and power. Jehoshaphat prayed, ‘O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee’, 2 Chr. 20. 12. In a culture that prizes independence, scripture calls us to dependence, and we should remember that prayer is not weakness; it is the confession that God alone is strong. Daniel prayed three times a day, even when it was dangerous, and his dependence brought deliverance, Dan. 6. 10.
‘Make known his deeds among the people’. This is about God’s glory being displayed through transformed lives. After the Lord Jesus healed the man possessed by demons, His words to him were, ‘Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him’, Luke 8. 39. The early church had ‘favour with all the people’ because their lives reflected Christ, Acts 2. 47. God’s faithfulness is not meant to be a private secret but a public testimony. Are our lives truly exhibiting ‘how great things God hath done’ unto us?
So, Psalm 105 verse 1 gives to us a threefold cord that will be strong and, since it is a Psalm, a three-note chord that will produce a harmonious sound from our lives. We ought to be grateful for what God has done, dependent on who God is, and bold in making Him known.
Once again, as we send out this issue of the magazine, we do so with thankfulness to the Lord for His continued provision of written material and of funds to allow its production and distribution, in dependence on Him for blessing and future resources, and with a desire that it helps readers to know more about the Saviour.
Sandy Jack
Ministry Articles Editor
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