Psalm 107 vs 1-22 - He satisfies

Read: Psalm 107 vs 1-22

Psalm 107 is the first chapter in the final section (‘Book Five’) in the book of Psalms. It begins with a call to ‘Give thanks to the LORD’ (vs 1). This call is followed by two reasons; ‘for He is good’ and ‘for His love endures forever.’

Christian people are followers of Jesus, our faith is built on response, God always has the first word, it is because of what He has said and what He has done that we praise Him. This is why knowing our Bibles, and having God’s word, in our hearts and daily lives is so important; Christian prayer is not us bowing before a stranger and starting to talk, Christian prayer is answering God.

The word ‘redeemed’ (vs 2) is a wonderful Bible word. It’s to do with buying someone back, it’s do with bringing hope to the hopeless, and giving a future to those who feel they have none. Psalm 107 describes the LORD’s people as being ‘the redeemed of the LORD.’ Every person has their own ‘story’ (vs 2). 

When we read through the pages of the Bible we are reminded that often human stories are marked by ‘wandering’ (vs 4), trouble (vs 6), and distress (vs 6). In the Bible we see people sitting ‘in darkness’ (‘utter darkness’ vs 10) and we find experiences that are ‘bitter’ (vs 12). We meet people who make foolish choices, people who rebel (vs 17), and who suffer the consequences of their own folly. At the end of section of such storytelling the writer of this Psalm turns to focus on God’s ‘unfailing love’ (vs 8, 15, 21), because as he looks back He realises that it is this love which has, with unfailing faithfulness, intervened in the lives of God’s people. His love has redeemed His people and it is His love which redeems their stories. To borrow imagery from the book of Ruth, it is the actions of our Redeemer that takes the bitter threads of life’s story and weaves them into something that is pleasant. So, ‘let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story’ and in doing so may our telling give thanks to the LORD, as we experience the truth that His love endures forever.

Prayer: Father thank you that You sent the Lord Jesus to be our Redeemer, to buy us back, to transform who we are and all that has happened to us. Thank You that You are good and that Your love is always behind me and before me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.