Psalm 107

Psalm 107 begins like the prior chapter: “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever”.  Think that may be a hint about how we should live?  We need to give thanks to the Lord.  He is good – not just good – He is good all the time.  And the clincher is that “His steadfast love endures forever”.  Have you thought about that?  About how long forever really is?  God isn’t just a little in love with us.  He loves us yesterday, today and forever. Not a little bit, but with steadfast love.  We are so blessed by His love and goodness.  That should cause a response on our part – not one of apathy and expectation – but of thanksgiving and gratitude.

This chapter is also a summary of how the people have executed on their giving thanks.  The expectation is pretty clear: “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands”.  As folks who have been redeemed, we should be saying so.  We should be talking continually about the way God has redeemed us, helped us deal with trouble, and gathered us from the lands.  God has been at work in our lives since we were born.  We need to simply say so.  We need to share what He has done.  It isn’t hard to see if we stop and look a bit.  God has done so many good things in each and every one of our lives.  He is the blesser and redeemer!

So what do we do though?  This passage sums it up with example after example of how the circle runs.  Here it is at a high level:

–       “Some wandered” – we forget about God and go do our own thing

–       “because of their iniquities suffered affliction” – when we sin we must pay a price

–       “they they cried to the Lord” – when things get tough, we remember and come back to God

–       “He delivered them” – God hears our cry and responds

It is a vicious circle.  We forget God and do our own thing.  It leads us to sin and we mess everything up.  We finally figure out that we can’t make life happen the way we want it and cry out to God for help.  And amazingly, because of His steadfast love, He not only hears our cries but He responds and delivers us.  We deserve death and destruction, but God in His mercy and steadfast love, delivers us.  That is an amazing love from an unbelievable God.

There is one more piece of the circle that is needed to complete it.  “Let them thank the Lord”.  Sometimes we see, and experience today, that when God works in us we do get around to thanking Him.  We do “say so” and let people know of His goodness and love.  But often we skip right past that part.  We don’t mention His “wondrous works” that set us back on our feet and put us back in a good place. God is the one who “fills them with good things”.  We don’t make that happen – no matter how much we might want to think so.  Every good and perfect gift comes from God.  We need to complete the circle and make sure we are giving thanks.  It isn’t that we have nothing to be thankful for.  Our entire world is filled with God’s goodness.  Our lives are overflowing with His blessings.  What is missing is our desire to stop and give thanks and take our focus off of self, and put it where it truly belongs, on the Creator and Sustainer of the world we live in.  God is good, all the time.  He is worthy of our praise.  How will you praise him and say so today?