Psalm 105 - The Contemplative Bible Meditation Series
Psalm 105 is a sacred remembering. More than history, it is a spiritual map—a tracing of divine fingerprints through the lives of people who, like us, faced uncertainty, betrayal, transition, and transformation. In our modern lives, we often seek peace in productivity, and security in control, forgetting that the deeper current of our lives is held by something larger: the unshakable faithfulness of God. This psalm calls us to remember—not passively, but as a spiritual discipline. To remember is to reconnect with our story, to anchor ourselves in what is enduring when so much feels temporary. Let us now journey through Psalm 105, verse by verse—or heart by heart—and receive the layered wisdom it offers.
Transcript
Psalm 105 is a sacred remembering.
More than history,
It is a spiritual map,
A tracing of divine fingerprints through the lives of people who,
Like us,
Faced uncertainty,
Betrayal,
Transition and transformation.
In our modern lives,
We often seek peace in productivity and security in control,
Forgetting that the deeper current of our lives is held by something larger,
The unshakable faithfulness of God.
This psalm calls us to the member,
Not passively,
But as a spiritual discipline.
To the member is to reconnect with our story,
To anchor ourselves in what is enduring when so much feels temporary.
Let us now journey to Psalm 105,
Verse by verse or heart by heart,
And receive the layered wisdom it offers.
Psalm 105 O give thanks to the Lord,
Call upon His name,
Make known His deeds among the peoples.
Sing to Him,
Sing psalms to Him,
Talk of all His wondrous works.
Glory is His holy name,
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord.
Seek the Lord and His strength,
Seek His face evermore.
Remember His marvellous works which He has done,
His wonders and the judgments of His mouth.
O seed of Abraham,
His servant,
You children of Jacob,
His chosen ones.
He is the Lord our God,
His judgments are in all the earth.
He remembers His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded for the thousand generations.
The covenant which He made to Abraham and His oath to Isaac,
And confirmed it to Jacob for the statue,
To Israel as an everlasting covenant,
Saying,
To you I will give the land of Canaan as the allotment of your inheritance.
When they were very few in number,
Indeed very few,
And strangers in it.
When they went from one nation to another,
From one kingdom to another people,
He permitted no one to do them wrong.
Yes,
He rebuked kings for their sakes,
Saying,
Do not touch My anointed ones,
And do My prophets no harm.
Moreover,
He called for the famine in the land,
He destroyed all the provisions of bread.
He sent a man before them,
Joseph,
Who was sold as a slave.
They hurt his feet with fetters,
He was laid in irons.
Until the time that His word came to pass,
The word of the Lord tested him.
The king sent and released him,
The ruler of the people let him go free.
He made him lord of his house,
And ruler of all his possessions,
To bind his princes at his pleasure,
And teach his elders wisdom.
Israel also came into Egypt,
And Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.
He increased his people greatly,
And made them stronger than his enemies.
He turned their heart to hate his people,
To deal craftily with his servants.
He sent Moses,
His servant,
And Aaron,
Whom he had chosen.
They performed his signs among them,
And wonders in the land of Ham.
He sent darkness and made it dark,
And they did not rebel against His word.
He turned their waters into blood and killed their fish.
Their land abounded with frogs,
Even in the chambers of their kings.
He spoke,
And there came swarms of flies and lice in all their territory.
He gave them hail for rain and flaming fire in their land.
He struck their vines also,
And their fig trees,
And splintered the trees of their territory.
He spoke,
And locusts came,
Young locusts without number,
And ate up all the vegetation in their land and devoured the fruit of their ground.
He also destroyed all the firstborn in their land,
The first of all their strength.
He also brought them out with silver and gold,
And there were none feeble among his tribes.
Egypt was glad when they departed,
For the fear of them had fallen upon them.
He spread a cloud for a covering and fire to give light in the night.
The people asked,
And He brought quail and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
He opened the rock,
And water gushed out.
It ran in the dry places like a river.
For He remembered His holy promise,
And Abraham His servant.
He brought out His people with joy,
His chosen ones with gladness.
He gave them the lands of the Gentiles,
And they inherited the labor of the nations,
That they might observe His statues and keep His laws.
O give thanks to the Lord,
Call upon His name.
Make known His deeds among the peoples.
Sing to Him,
Sing psalms to Him,
Talk of all His wondrous works.
Glory in His holy name.
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord.
Seek the Lord and His strength,
Seek His face evermore.
Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders and the judgments of His mouth.
O seed of Abraham His servant,
You children of Jacob,
His chosen ones.
These opening verses summon us into gratitude and recognition.
To give thanks is to shift from scarcity to sufficiency.
Calling on God's name is an act of relational trust.
A reminder that we are not alone in our longing,
Our striving or our healing.
Gratitude and remembrance,
They change the way we relate to the world.
They reconnect us with the source that sustains us.
In our day to day living,
We often forget to pause and witness the miracles that already surround us.
The kindness of a stranger,
The resilience that got us through another day,
The subtle whispers of grace.
These verses invite us to make praise not an event but a rhythm.
Verses 7-15 He is the Lord our God,
His judgments are in all the earth.
He remembers His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded for a thousand generations.
The covenant which He made with Abraham and His oath to Isaac and confirmed it to Jacob for a statue to Israel as an everlasting covenant.
Saying,
To you I will give the land of Canaan as the allotment of your inheritance.
When they were few in number,
Indeed very few and strangers in it.
When they went from one nation to another,
From one kingdom to another people,
He permitted no one to do them wrong.
Yes,
He rebuked kings for their sakes.
Saying,
Do not touch my anointed ones and do my prophets no harm.
Covenant and Protection These verses root us in the unchanging nature of divine promise.
God's covenant with Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob was not based on their perfection but on divine intention and love.
It speaks to the need for secure attachment,
Something many of us struggle with.
Here we are shown that God is a reliable presence,
A secure base from which we can explore and endure life's seasons.
Even when they were few and vulnerable,
God shielded His people.
This doesn't always mean ease but it does mean presence.
Let this be a comfort.
You are held even when unseen,
Even when you feel unworthy.
Verses 16-22 Moreover,
He called for the famine in the land.
He destroyed all the provision of bread.
He sent a man before them,
Joseph,
Who was sold as a slave.
They hurt his feet with fetters.
He was laid in irons.
Until the time that His word came to pass,
The word of the Lord tested him.
The king sent and released him.
The ruler of the people let him go free.
He made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions to bind his princes at his pleasure and teach his elders wisdom.
Joseph's story is one of divine paradox.
Betrayed by his brothers,
Imprisoned unjustly and forgotten.
Yet,
All these became pathways to purpose.
How often in our lives do we resist the very circumstances that refine us.
The idea of growth,
Growth after trauma,
It suggests that suffering,
When integrated with meaning,
It leads to transformation.
The testing of Joseph is a mirror for our own waiting seasons.
God's word tested him,
Not to break him,
But to shape him,
To shape him into a vessel capable of stewardship and wisdom.
Trust that even now,
Your story is unfolding in divine time.
Israel also came into Egypt and Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.
He increased his people greatly and made them stronger than their enemies.
He turned their heart to hate his people,
To deal craftily with his servants.
Prosperity often brings its own challenges.
Growth,
Whether spiritual or material,
Can provoke envy or resistance.
These verses reflect the emotional truth that favour sometimes invites difficulty.
In your own life,
Recognize that not all opposition is a sign of failure.
Sometimes it is a sign of fruitfulness.
Let this be encouragement.
You can remain rooted even when the climate changes.
God's awareness surrounds your flourishing and your struggle alike.
He sent Moses his servant and Aden whom he had chosen.
They performed his signs among them and wonders in the land of Ham.
He sent darkness and made it dark and they did not rebel against his word.
He turned their waters into blood and killed their fish.
Their land abounded with frogs even in the chambers of their kings.
He spoke and there came swarms of flies and lice in all their territory.
He gave them hail for rain and flaming fire in their land.
He struck their vines also and their fig trees and splintered the trees of their territory.
He spoke and locusts came,
Young locusts without number,
And ate up all the vegetation in their land and devoured the fruit of their ground.
He also destroyed all the firstborn in their land,
The first of all their strength.
Signs and Interventions The plagues and signs in Egypt may seem harsh,
But they reveal a deeper spiritual truth.
The higher order will not allow injustice to stand indefinitely.
Intervention may not come as we expect,
But it comes.
And sometimes to liberate what is bound,
A shaking must occur.
In our lives,
These disruptions can represent the collapse of false narratives or the collapse of destructive patterns in our lives.
God's movement disrupts so he can deliver.
Let us trust the shaking when it comes,
Not as punishment,
But as preparation.
Verses 37-41 He also brought them out with silver and gold,
And there were none feeble among his tribes.
Egypt was glad when they departed,
For the fear of them had fallen upon them.
He spread a cloud for a covering and fire to give light in the night.
The people asked,
And he brought quail and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
He opened the rock and water gushed out.
It ran in the dry places like a river.
Provision in the Wilderness These verses remind us that deliverance is not only freedom from,
But provision for.
The wilderness,
A place of apparent lack,
It becomes the stage for abundance.
The same God who allows the desert,
Provides the manna.
What feels like barrenness in your life may be preparing you to witness water from unexpected places.
Open your heart to the mystery of provision.
It may come not in the way you imagined,
But in the form your soul most needs.
Verses 42-45 For he remembered his holy promise,
And Abraham his servant.
He brought out his people with joy,
His chosen ones with gladness.
He gave them the lands of the Gentiles,
And they inherited the labor of the nations,
That they might observe his statues and keep his laws.
Praise the Lord.
God's remembrance is not passive.
God's remembrance is action-oriented,
Culminating in deliverance,
Inheritance,
And responsibility.
The ultimate purpose of all of God's faithfulness is that we would live in harmony with divine wisdom.
We are not just rescued.
We are invited into alignment.
Our spiritual practices,
Like observing the statues,
Are not burdens.
They are pathways to wholeness.
Peace is not the absence of trouble.
But the presence of divine order in our inner landscape.
A Prayer Faithful God,
Let me see my life through the lens of your remembrance.
Teach me to trust the unfolding,
To honor the past without clinging,
And to walk boldly into the future you prepare.
Shape my heart with peace,
Anchor my thoughts in gratitude,
And let my life reflect the beauty of your covenant.
Amen.
