Psalm 107 – Tell Their Story
What is your story? We all have a unique story to tell. In Psalm 107 – tell their story, we hear the story of how God redeemed God’s people. What does their story tell us today?
Psalm 107
Psalm 107 – tell their story, begins with a call to give thanks to God, whose love endures forever, and a call to the redeemed to tell their story. Other translations insist, Say So! Speak up, don’t remain silent. Tell the story!
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.” (1-3)
Reasons for Thanking God
The writer lists all the reasons to give thanks. God satisfies the hungry.
“Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle.
They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” (4-7)
Some were imprisoned:
“Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains,
because they rebelled against God’s commands and despised the plans of the Most High.
So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.” (10-16)
God rescued them even though they had rebelled against him.
Some were fools:
“Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.” (17-20)
God to the Rescue
God continuously rescued the Hebrew people. Some survived storms:
“Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters.
They saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful deeds in the deep.
For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves.
They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away.
They reeled and staggered like drunkards; they were at their wits’ end.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.” (23-30)
God turned deserts into pools of water:
“He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs;
there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle.
They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest;
he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish.” (34-38)
All are called to give thanks to God. Four times the psalmist says, “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.” (8, 15, 21, 31)
Psalm 107 ends with the command: “Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.” (43)
We are called to remember these stories.
Psalm 107 – Tell Their Story
Stories have power. They entertain and inform in ways that data does not. We don’t remember the numbers, but we remember the stories. Jesus used stories to spread his message.
In Psalm 107 – tell their story, we hear how the Hebrew nation proclaimed their stories of redemption. In the same way we are to tell our stories to spread the message of God’s great love.
And the greatest story of all is the story of how God so loved the world that he became a man, being born in a simple stable. A baby who changed the world.
How might your story change the world for the better?
Wishing you a blessed Christmas. The Story lives on!
(For another take on this Psalm, see Psalm 107: Giving Thanks for God’s Steadfast Love.)
This post is part of a series of blog posts on the Psalms. Sign up to follow this blog and receive a free copy of Still Dancing, the second book in my Dancing through Life Series. click here to sign up
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