My guess is that when you sit down to read Psalm 105 you likely get bored, especially if you are already familiar with the story line of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible). Unfortunately, this funny thing happens when we become too familiar with something: we eventually think of it as trite or cliché. We lose interest and find it hard to participate fully with whatever it is– this could range from a book or television show, to a spiritual discipline like prayer and scripture, to a job or career, or even familiar relationships with friends and family. We’ve all been there, grown tired, apathetic towards the familiar and well-acquainted, shrugged our shoulders and thought “I’m over it," deciding (whether we are aware of it or not) that it no longer deserves our attention or energy.
When it comes to scripture and religious artifacts, we don’t necessarily doubt the familiar information, but we do grow to doubt it’s power in-our-formation. We believe in some vague way the familiar truth of this or that but doubt that God actually uses the regular rehearsal of that truth to influence change in our hearts and minds, as if repetition is somehow deficient or impotent. In the example of Psalm 105, we might regard it’s retelling of some key moments in redemptive history as simply “old news,” wanting instead something fresh, new and surprising. But God’s activity in the world is never “old news,” to be honest it’s never really even “new news…” God’s story is always “good news.”
This week, I hope you find yourself reflecting on the familiar stories of the Bible, not with detached indifference, but with marvelous wonder. I hope, like the psalmist, you can reflect on the familiar stories of your own life in the same way. I hope you make regular time with your family and friends to rehearse the familiar stories of God’s activity in the world and in your life specifically, not as old news, or even as new news, but as the Good News of Jesus Christ.
-- Chaz Holsomback