THANKFUL (Psalm107)

This fog sits above the valley where I live, just below hills full of orchards 

(shown in fall). Often in life, we're trying to find our way through the 

fog of trials and disappointments, but God is still above it all--

and still in control.

(A series on the 48 psalms recommended for study during times of depression by pastor- counselor David Seamands, author of Healing of Damaged Emotions)

Studying Psalm 107 is something like working at an archeological site. The deeper you dig, the more treasures you find. In this case, instead of broken relics, you discover timeless truths of how thanksgiving heals broken spirits. It starts out with this unapologetic truth:

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Then, after each of the four pictures of desperation, it repeats a similar phrase of gratitude (vv. 8, 15, 21, 31):

Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.

Scholars believe this psalm reflects the experiences of the Jews after 70 years of Babylonian captivity ended. Their descendants trudged hundreds of wilderness miles to return to their ancestral homeland. But there was no warm welcome home. Jerusalem was in ruins. Disheartening! Yet this psalm’s repeated message is give thanks!

I’m reminded of a saying from the 1970s, “Praise the Lord, anyhow,” which I suspected was just a disguised way of saying, “I don’t like this but I’ll do a token thank-you to God.” The core message of Psalm 107 is so different. In the worst of times, in the most desperate of situations, they chose better over bitter. The psalm provides five pictures of God’s power and mercy in the worst of times.

*The wandering (vv. 4-9). Imagine being released from a long jail sentence. Exchanging prison garb for "regular" clothes, you walk to freedom, the prison gates clanging shut behind. But nobody’s there to take you home, wherever home is. You trudge down the road, no water or food.That’s a picture of facing discouraging circumstances, such as a major disappointment, divorce, crushing debt, or death of someone we cherished. We become refugees in the land of disillusionment, taking one difficult step at a time in hope of finding wholeness. Yet, God is there (v. 9). 

*The prisoners (vv. 10-16). They’re described as sitting “in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains” (v. 10). These miserable people had rejected God’s commands, and ended up shut away behind bars. Could those bars be bitterness, blaming, anger, prejudice and pettiness--any of which can imprison people for miserable, extended periods of time? Here’s the secret for release: “They cried to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress.  He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains” (v. 14). 

*The sick (vv. 17-22). When we’re well, we should praise and thank God. But here’s the reality: good people get sick and die and bad people get sick and die. If God permits healing for the time being, we need to follow up with Vitamin P—“praise.” Still, sickness reminds us of the brevity of life and that we all someday die to face God for judgment.  

*The storm-tossed (vv. 23-30). The Jews weren’t sea-faring people, so this section’s description of a horrific storm at sea shares their utter fear of being in a primitive vessel at the mercy of mountainous waves. A memorable application of these verses occurred in 1748 with a man known for his mean, blasphemous ways. Facing death on a storm-tossed ship, John Newton remembered his mother’s prayers and Bible lessons when he was a lad. Cold salt water drenching him, he experienced God’s amazing grace for a complete change in his life. He left the sailing world and became a pastor. And yes, he wrote that hymn, “Amazing Grace.” If God can do that for a renegade like Newton, He can do it for anyone who cries “out to the Lord in their trouble” (v. 28).  He can calm the storm and guide them to a desired haven (vv. 29-30).

GOD’S PROVIDENCE

The psalm’s final verses describe the providence of God—that is, His dealings with this world according to His wisdom. Some are lifted up, others brought down. Some blessed, others suffering. But no matter what happens, He is there. If He chooses to let us go through a difficult experience, He’s on the other side of it offering two alternatives. One is to complain and grow bitter.  The other is to trust Him, and grow better.

The Rx for discouragement? The last verse:

Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD. (v. 43)