May 7thPsalm 107
Say So
Back in my teens, I went to a Bible camp at Redberry Lake. In the evening we would sit around a campfire and the speaker would encourage us to share where God had been active in our lives. Often verse 2 of Psalm 107 was quoted: 'Let the redeemed of the Lord say so....'
Our psalmist wants the people, freshly returned from 70 years of exile in Babylon (the children's children), to reflect on how God has led them and then 'say so'.
Two themes dominate the hymn: 'trouble' and 'steadfast love.'
CALL TO WORSHIP - GOD'S STEADFAST LOVE (v.1-3)
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
those he redeemed from trouble
3 the ones God gathered from various countries,
from east and west, north and south.
Then follow four stanzas written to a pattern:
Stanza 1 (v.4-9):
Trouble - wandering in desert wastes
“Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,” “And he saved them from their distress.”
“Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind”
Praise - 'He satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.'
Stanza 2 Those gathered from darkness, gloom, and prison (v.10-16)
Stanza 3 Those gathered from sin, illness, and hunger (v.17-22)
Stanza 4 Those gathered from the sea (v.23-32)
All follow the same pattern.
Stanza 5 - This fifth stanza is different, a kind of summing up of what has gone before, highlighting again the actions of God for those who are in distress (v.33-42).
And then the powerful last lines:
Whoever is wise will pay attention to these things,
carefully considering the steadfast love of the Lord.
We may never find ourselves literally wandering in a desert wasteland (Psalm 107:4-9), forced to dwell in a place of deep darkness (Psalm 107:10-16), sick to the point of death (Psalm 107:17-22), caught in a tumultuous storm at sea (Psalm 107:23-32), but each of us have faced or will face those times when we need desperately the redeeming hand of God.
Psalm 107 gives us insight into how to handle those times: Recognize the situation you are in; cry out to God and tell God what you need; accept the deliverance that God brings; and then give thanks to God. And in the end, remember that God, not any earthly strength or power, can provide a “habitable” place for us and allow us to live the good life that God has given to us.
But what about others? What about those who wander in the wilderness and are sick to the point of death through no fault of their own? What about those who are battered by the storms of life? Yes, we can cry out to God; yes, we can hope in God’s good provisions.
We must never forget that those of us who have ample resources and strength are called to be the arms and legs, the hands and feet, the voice of God in this world. God will redeem from the east and the west, from the north and from the south; but the redemption of God often takes human form.
When Jack Casey was a child he had to have dental surgery and he was terrified. One of the nurses said to him, 'Don't worry, I'll be right here beside you, no matter what happens.' And she was true to her word. When he woke up in recovery, she was right there.
Years later, Jack now a paramedic, was called to the scene of a highway accident. A man was pinned upside down in his pickup truck. The man was terrified and kept crying out that he was afraid of dying. Jack crawled inside the truck to reach him even though gasoline was dripping down on both of them. The rescuers were using power tools to cut the metal, so one spark could have meant a catastrophe. Jack nestled next to the man and said, 'Look, don't worry, I'm right here with you, I'm not going anywhere.' The same words he had heard so many years before from the nurse.
Later the truck driver said to Jack, 'You were an idiot; you know that the thing could have exploded, and we'd both have been burned up.' And I (Jack) told him I felt I just couldn't leave him. [1]
'Let the redeemed of the Lord say so' and then go out and be a blessing to those in distress, wherever and whoever they may be.
Questions for Reflection:
Simone Weil said once that our attention is "the only faculty of the soul that gives us access to God.” [2]
What distress or trouble are you facing?
How am you encountering God? What is prayer like for you right now?
What is nurturing your relationship with God and keeping you going?
What do you need or desire from God? What do you imagine God desires for you?
[1] Robert Wuthnow - 'Stories to Live By' (Theology Today, 1992).
[2] Rachel Herr - 'Asking questions as a spiritual practice.' [accessed online]