I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 105-107.

All three of today’s psalms focus on reminding us to give thanks to God for what He has done.  The first two emphasize how, as a group, the people of Israel had time and again rebelled against God, only to turn to Him once more when they faced the consequences of their rebellion.  The two things he speaks of which hit home to me are when he speaks of their sin in worshiping Baal of Peor and then adopting the evil customs of the people in the land they were promised.  The first strikes me because I know from elsewhere that the appeal of worshiping Baal of Peor was the sexual sins which were practiced as part of that worship.  The second because the psalmist calls out that one of the evil practices was killing their own children as sacrifices.  I see both the sexual sins and the killing our children in our society today.  Our society condemns as “intolerant” and “hateful” those who call us to follow God’s plans for our sexuality and those who defend the children in the womb.

The third psalm calls on us to tell our stories of redemption.  Here the psalmist focuses on how we as individuals have sinned and been brought back to God.  Whether we were lost and homeless, or suffering incarceration because of our crimes, or suffering depression (perhaps because of our sins), or facing danger from forces of nature, let us share our stories of how God redeemed us when we cried out to Him for help.

I will share one of those times when God redeemed me.  I was managing a convenience store.  It filled my time, leaving me no social life.  I could not even reliably set aside time to go to worship services.  It did not even allow me time for a job search.  The job had become a dead end and drained me of all of my joy.  I prayed earnestly to God for relief and He brought a job opening to me which gave me fresh interest in life and a regular schedule.