Consider the steadfast love of the Lord

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. Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons, for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High. So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron. Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction; they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy! Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of the Lord , his wondrous works in the deep. For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits' end. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders. He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground, a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants. He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water. And there he lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in; they sow fields and plant vineyards and get a fruitful yield. By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their livestock diminish. When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, evil, and sorrow, he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes; but he raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks. The upright see it and are glad, and all wickedness shuts its mouth. Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord .- Psalms 107:1‭-‬43 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

God had saved the people of Israel. He had saved them from wandering in the desert, a storm at sea... These snapshots show how God comes to us and saves. These situations seem very foreign to us in this day and age. But we should look for ourselves in these circumstances.

Look at the album

The first snapshot is the picture of the wanderer. Hungry, thirsty and without a place. They have no home and no place to belong. Perhaps we are not homeless, but we may feel without a place to belong. For those, Jesus calls us home and a place to belong. Jesus left his heavenly home to come to the desert and come for those to who wander. Even for those who know Jesus, we have this feeling in our hearts of being lost and no place to call home.

The next two snapshots speak of sickness and imprisonment. Israel had experienced chains and bondage. Now not everyone experiences this because of sin, but it was the case for Israel.  The people were sick and in bondage because of their sin, but even so, when they called out to God, He came and rescued.

We are all in the bonds of sin and only Jesus can set us free. Are we gripped by drugs making us deathly sick? Are we workaholics, constantly worrying about our work performance, career prospects, and comparison to coworkers? We are all addicts in one way or another.

The final snapshot is of the overwhelmed. Israel is not a sea faring people. But they were exiled and taken to foreign cultures and lands. They were brought to their wits end. Sometimes God brings us to the end of our resources. God throws us into the storm so that we turn from ourselves to rely on God. He does this to drive us to the greatest haven, God himself. Every storm in our lives is from the hand of our loving Father. He is in control of the storm.

We can look at these various snapshots and see reflections of ourselves. So what then?

Live in thanks

As we review these snapshots, we should give praise to God and be thankful. But this is not a single instance, it is a continual habit. We should be more thankful. Why are we always so full of complaints? Two reasons: We think we deserve more and we feel that we worked hard for what we have. Jonathan Edwards has said that the bad things will be used for good, our good will never be taken, and the best is yet to come.

Be quick to cry out to God
Believe in God's mighty power
Be still as we wait on God