Tuesday, August 22, 2023
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble? Psalm 107:1-2
A God Who Delivers and Redeems
In this chapter of Psalms, we see the amazing steadfast love and mercy of our Heavenly Father. The chapter tells the stories of redemption for four different kinds of people.
The chapter starts off proclaiming thanks for God – for His goodness and mercy. The rest of the chapter praises God’s deliverance in these four stories of redemption.
Verses 4-9 tell the story of deliverance for those lost in their wandering. Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. Psalm 107:4-5
Have you ever wandered and gotten lost? Maybe you wandered away from home, or maybe you wandered away from God? Reminding us of the Children of Israel, wandering is not a journey. A journey has a destination and wandering is what you do when you are lost. Wandering is what we do sometimes when we are lost in sin. But the Lord hears us when we cry out to Him in distress, and He will provide what we need and redeem us. In Him we are no longer lost in our wandering, nor will we thirst and hunger when He satisfies the longing in our soul.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. Psalm 107: 6-9
Verses 10-16 tell the story of deliverance for captives. Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,prisoners in affliction and in irons, for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High. So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help. Psalm 107: 10-12
Have you ever been held captive by anything? A certain sin that you could not escape? Your thoughts? A past sin? Someone else’s wrong words about you? We give so much time and energy to things that have no right to even a second of our time. We can call out to God in the middle of whatever is holding us captive – sin, shame, addiction, anything. He will deliver us and we can thank Him for His steadfast love. He breaks chains – the chains that hold us captive.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron. Psalm 107:13-16
Verses 17-22 tell the story of deliverance of those who have made bad choices. Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction; they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Psalm 107: 17-18
We are truly our own worst enemy. We can find ourselves in some of the worst places, by the way of our own choices. We are His children. What happens to your heart when you see your kids making a mistake. It breaks our heart and it breaks His heart for us. We back ourselves into a corner and find ourselves with no other option – so we cry out to our Father. And He delivers.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them and delivered them from their destruction. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man. And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!
Verses 23-32 tell the story of deliverance of those who have found themselves in a storm that they would not live through. For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits' end. Psalms 107: 25-27
Have you ever felt like you were in a fight for your life? Maybe you are literally fighting for your health. Stressful situations, abuse, and relationship conflict can eventually take a toll on our health when we fight them for a long time. Maybe you have been fighting for a long time and you are tired and have no more energy to give. We can call to Him in the midst of the storm, and He will deliver us from our distress. He quiets the storm. He calms the waves.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! Let them extol him in the congregation of the people and praise him in the assembly of the elders. Psalm 107:28-32
God’s love is so true and steadfast that there is nothing we could do that would make Him stop loving us.
This is the Good News of the Bible - When we cry out to God, He hears us, and He delivers us. It may not be the way we thought He would, and it is usually never in the timeline that we want it to be. That's what He did for every person described in Psalm 107, and He will do that for me and you too.
