Goodness and Faithful Love
The key to this psalm lies in the first and last verses. The psalmist starts by exhorting us to thank God because he is good, and his faithful love continues forever. At the end of the psalm, we are reminded to look back and see how God’s faithful love has worked in our lives. In the middle are examples showing situations where God’s goodness and faithfulness have rescued people in the midst of their distress.
Psalm107
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.2 Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!
Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.
3 For he has gathered the exiles from many lands,
from east and west,
from north and south.
4 Some wandered in the wilderness,
lost and homeless.
5 Hungry and thirsty,
they nearly died.
6 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he rescued them from their distress.
7 He led them straight to safety,
to a city where they could live.
8 Let them praise the Lord for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
9 For he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom,
imprisoned in iron chains of misery.
11 They rebelled against the words of God,
scorning the counsel of the Most High.
12 That is why he broke them with hard labor;
they fell, and no one was there to help them.
13 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
14 He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom;
he snapped their chains.
15 Let them praise the Lord for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
16 For he broke down their prison gates of bronze;
he cut apart their bars of iron.
17 Some were fools; they rebelled
and suffered for their sins.
18 They couldn’t stand the thought of food,
and they were knocking on death’s door.
19 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them,
snatching them from the door of death.
21 Let them praise the Lord for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving
and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.
23 Some went off to sea in ships,
plying the trade routes of the world.
24 They, too, observed the Lord’s power in action,
his impressive works on the deepest seas.
25 He spoke, and the winds rose,
stirring up the waves.
26 Their ships were tossed to the heavens
and plunged again to the depths;
the sailors cringed in terror.
27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards
and were at their wits’ end.
28 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
29 He calmed the storm to a whisper
and stilled the waves.
30 What a blessing was that stillness
as he brought them safely into harbor!
31 Let them praise the Lord for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
32 Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation
and before the leaders of the nation.
33 He changes rivers into deserts,
and springs of water into dry, thirsty land.
34 He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands,
because of the wickedness of those who live there.
35 But he also turns deserts into pools of water,
the dry land into springs of water.
36 He brings the hungry to settle there
and to build their cities.
37 They sow their fields, plant their vineyards,
and harvest their bumper crops.
38 How he blesses them!
They raise large families there,
and their herds of livestock increase.
39 When they decrease in number and become impoverished
through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40 the Lord pours contempt on their princes,
causing them to wander in trackless wastelands.
41 But he rescues the poor from trouble
and increases their families like flocks of sheep.
42 The godly will see these things and be glad,
while the wicked are struck silent.43 Those who are wise will take all this to heart;
they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.
In some of these examples, people’s distress was caused by natural events – things that affect us all. In other examples, people have turned away from God and rejected Him, but when they cry out to Him, He is ready to answer, heal and restore their relationship with Him.
When I look back on my life, I, too, can see times when God’s faithfulness in my life has brought me through difficult circumstances. I can see times when I’ve cried out, “Lord, help”, and He has, though not always in the way I have expected.
God has ultimate authority in the world. He can turn “fruitful land into salty wastelands” (v34), and he can also turn “dry land into springs of water” (V35). He operates that authority in accordance with his goodness and faithfulness. Because of that, I can call out to Him and trust Him no matter what my circumstances. What an enormous relief and joy that is!
Like those in the psalm, I should respond by “praising the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done” V21), “offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about his glorious acts (v22)” and “exalt him publicly (v32)”.
Lord, thank you that You have ultimate authority in the world, and that Your love and faithfulness are at work in my life. Help me to look back, be wise and take all this to heart, and help me to tell others of your love too. Amen
Written by Megan Cornell