The Redeemed Response
Psalm 107:1-3,
In this Psalm, it begins with the call for us to give thanks to the Lord. And the reason that is given is that it's “for He is good.” C.H. Spurgeon writes that,
“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 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.”
In this Psalm, it begins with the call for us to give thanks to the Lord. And the reason that is given is that it's “for He is good.” C.H. Spurgeon writes that,
"He is good by nature and essence, and proven to be good in all of the acts of His eternity."
And as the psalmist has us, “to give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,” he then has us focus our attention on one aspect of the Lord's goodness. It says, “For His steadfast love endures forever.” His steadfast love, His loving kindness, His mercy. And while there are many mercies of the Lord, for we know that His mercies are new every morning, we know that the greatest mercy of the Lord is His mercy to the redeemed. The mercy of the Lord to His redeemed people, to undeserving sinners for whom Christ died; for those whom He paid the costly price, He shed His precious blood to secure our salvation. Spurgeon writes,
"The redeemed of the Lord have an overwhelming reason for declaring the goodness of the Lord."
So the psalmist says, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from trouble.” As we think of the goodness of the Lord to us, and as we remember that He has redeemed us, we are reminded that He has redeemed us and delivered us from trouble. The greatest of all troubles, the trouble that awaits all sinners, the punishment for our sin, the wrath of God. All who are redeemed, we are told, are gathered in from the lands. It's as though it is God's sovereign act as He is taking lost sinners from this world of sin and darkness from all the ends of the earth, the east, the west, the north, and the south. And we are the ones… we are the ones that are spoken of here. We are the ones who are called to give thanks to the Lord, for we are the ones who have experienced His goodness and His steadfast love as He has delivered us from our trouble.
But this psalm then continues to give four examples of the conditions of sinners from which God has delivered them.
And we read in each of these cases, “then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and He delivered them from their distress.” It's when they cried to the Lord and it is then that the Lord heard their cry, and He delivered them. And in each of these cases, then, after having been delivered from their troubles, being delivered from their distress, then the psalmist calls out and calls them to give thanks. He writes, "Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of men.”
So as we come together to pray, to worship the Lord, we should remember the goodness of the Lord to us. His steadfast love, His mercy that we have experienced in His saving us and delivering us from the power of sin that caused the greatest of all troubles in our lives. And as we remember the goodness of the Lord, let us give Him thanks for His wondrous work of salvation that we have been redeemed. “Let us extol Him,” as the psalmist says, “let us praise Him.”
So may our prayers even overflow with words of thanksgiving for what God has done, for His goodness and His great mercy to us. Also as we hear of the prayer requests that are being shared, perhaps requests for deliverance in times of trouble or distress of others, let us also cry to the Lord on behalf of those who are in need and pray for the Lord to deliver them, for He alone is the one that is able to deliver from all trouble and distress, “The Lord, the Lord who is good and merciful.” So let us remember, let us give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.
But this psalm then continues to give four examples of the conditions of sinners from which God has delivered them.
- In verse 4, it speaks of some who wandered in deserts, finding no way to a city to dwell in.
- In verse 10, it speaks of some who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons.
- In verse 17, it speaks of some who were fools through their sinful ways and because of their iniquities, suffered afflictions.
- And then in verse 23, we read of some who went down to the sea in ships doing business on the great waters. And in each of these cases, they experienced some form of trouble, trouble that caused them distress, severe distresses. And it was then only at that point, only in the midst of their trouble, in the midst of their distress, that they finally turned to the Lord.
And we read in each of these cases, “then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and He delivered them from their distress.” It's when they cried to the Lord and it is then that the Lord heard their cry, and He delivered them. And in each of these cases, then, after having been delivered from their troubles, being delivered from their distress, then the psalmist calls out and calls them to give thanks. He writes, "Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of men.”
So as we come together to pray, to worship the Lord, we should remember the goodness of the Lord to us. His steadfast love, His mercy that we have experienced in His saving us and delivering us from the power of sin that caused the greatest of all troubles in our lives. And as we remember the goodness of the Lord, let us give Him thanks for His wondrous work of salvation that we have been redeemed. “Let us extol Him,” as the psalmist says, “let us praise Him.”
So may our prayers even overflow with words of thanksgiving for what God has done, for His goodness and His great mercy to us. Also as we hear of the prayer requests that are being shared, perhaps requests for deliverance in times of trouble or distress of others, let us also cry to the Lord on behalf of those who are in need and pray for the Lord to deliver them, for He alone is the one that is able to deliver from all trouble and distress, “The Lord, the Lord who is good and merciful.” So let us remember, let us give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.
Posted in Pastor Devotional