Psalm 105:5 Remember his marvelous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth.
To See God’s Providence
God is a God of providence. That is, He is a God that provides. It is very easy to go through life and totally miss seeing His providing for us. As you read Psalm 105, you are reminded that to see God’s providence requires two things: memory and faith. Memory gives us gratitude. Faith gives us courage for the future.
Psalm 105 says we are to praise God, sing about God, glory in His name, seek Him, and “remember his marvellous works.” Then it lists some of the amazing works for which God is to be praised.
For instance, in verse 8 it says, “He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.” God made this covenant with Abraham, remembered His holy promise, and kept that promise to Abraham. Verse 11 says that God gave Abraham’s descendants the land of Canaan, and then reminds us that He allowed no one to harm His people. These are marvelous works, God’s provision, for which God should be praised.
Then there is a turn in verses 16-17 which say, “Moreover he called for a famine…He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant.” Verse 25 says, “He turned their [the Egyptians] heart to hate his people.”Is this more of God’s marvelous, wondrous works? Yes!
That is why we need both memory and faith. It requires memory after the fact to see God in your story and in the world He has made. God made a promise to Abraham. Was the captivity in Egypt a detour or part of God’s plan? It was part of God’s plan. God was going to incubate a small family in to a mighty nation while they were down in Egypt.
How did God get them there? He sent a famine and He sent Joseph. Was Joseph sold by his brothers or was Joseph sent by God? The answer is, “Yes.” God eventually turned the Egyptians to hate His people and sent plagues. Why? Because with the famine and with the slavery of Joseph He got Israel into Egypt and with the plagues He got Israel out of Egypt. Egypt was glad when Israel departed, and the Jewish people took much spoil along with them. Verse 42 says, “For he remembered his holy promise.”
All that God did, both the obviously good and the apparently bad, were part of God’s keeping His promise. It is easy to go through storms and experience God’s provision, but then forget what God has done. We need a focus to remember what God has provided for us.
Now if you are going through great difficulty right now, what you need is faith. Hebrews 11 speaks of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, the children of Israel at the Red Sea who all followed God by faith. Faith is a decision based on God’s character that results in obedience and enables you to accomplish God’s purpose for your life.
God is going to provide for you today. To see God’s providence requires memory and faith. It is important to remember God, to see God in the world He made, and to see Him in your story. Then, thank Him for being the God Who provides.