Writing Our Personal “Some” Story
Psalm 107
Psalm 107 is a rather long psalm that invites us to consider the steadfast love of the Lord and to give thanks for the same. But the song is constructed in an interesting way. It describes the trouble and distress (a phrase used four times) of four different groups of people. Each group is introduced with the simple word “some” (4, 10, 17, 23) and concludes by those people crying out to the Lord in their trouble and distress (6, 13, 19, 28). The song describes how the people in each group experienced the steadfast love of the Lord. However, the four sample groups chosen by the psalmist are interesting.
The first “some” described are those who wander in desert places without finding a city to dwell in (4-9). They are described as hungry and thirsty with faint souls. When they cried out to the Lord, He delivered them and led them to a city to dwell in. The psalmist then calls this group to thank the Lord for His steadfast love.
The second group are those who are prisoners (10-16). Their suffering is described as sitting in darkness, living in the shadow of death, suffering affliction in irons. But unlike the first group, their sin is what brought about their suffering. They had rebelled against the words of the Most High and spurned His counsel. Because of their sin, the Lord is the one who brought about their suffering. He bowed their hearts down with hard labor. Even so, when they cried to the Lord in their trouble, the Lord delivered them. God brought them out and burst their bonds. The proper response, the psalmist wrote, is for them to thank the Lord for His steadfast love and for His wondrous works to the children of man.
At this point, we should notice the repetition of two key verses. In each of the four groups, two verses are repeated.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress. (6, 13, 19, 28)
Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of man. (8, 15, 21, 31)
The third group are the fools who suffered affliction because of their sinful ways (17-22). Their troubles and distress are directly linked to their sinful ways and iniquities, but their suffering is not directly linked to the hand of God. It seems they drew near to the gates of death as a consequence of their foolish ways. But still, when they cried out to the Lord, He delivered them. In this case, His deliverance is described as sending out His word and healing them.
The fourth and final group is altogether different. These are those who are traveling on the high seas for business (23-32). Their trouble and distress is a result of the dangers of sea travel, stormy winds and waves of the sea. These realities are simply described as the deeds of the Lord, the wonderous works in the deep. The Lord is the One who commands the waves, these huge waves don’t seem to be sent in direct judgment against these particular sailors, but more just the reality of His creation. Nevertheless, the sailors were at their wits ends. And once again, when they cried to the Lord, He delivered them. God made the storm be still, hushed the waves, and brought them to their desired haven.
We should stop and take note of how this psalm, like so many others, hint and point to Jesus. Jesus was the one who calmed to storms and immediately brought the disciples on the boat to the shore (see John 6.16-21).
The last 10 verses of this psalm speak of the many and various ways that the Lord delivers from our distress when we call upon Him in our trouble. Examples include turning desert into pools of water, giving the hungry a city to dwell in, fruitful crops and vineyards, livestock that multiply, and raising up the needy. It also describes God’s work to judge the evil doers such as turning rivers into a desert and fruitful lands into a salty waste.
The psalm concludes with this simple command: whoever is wise, let him attend to these things and consider the steadfast love of the Lord (43).
A few observations from this psalm.
First, troubles and distress come to us in many forms. Sometimes, we bring them on ourselves through our foolishness or rebellion against the ways of the Lord. Other times, they are simply the result of living in a world which is in bondage to decay. But either way, trouble is trouble and distress is distress.
In addition, some troubles are the natural consequences of our life choices and other troubles are the direct hand of God to either withhold His blessings or to send His wrath. While we might not be comfortable with a God who directly intervenes with both His deliverance and His wrath, this psalm calls us to rejoice in both: God both pours contempt on princes (40) and raises up the needy (41). Which means, that when we are suffering, we must prayerfully ask the question, is this trouble and distress the result of my sin or just the reality of living in a fallen world?
Third, the mercy of the Lord is on full display. Regardless of whether our trouble is brought upon by the normal waves of the sea or our foolish rebellion, the Lord still delivers us when we call upon Him. This is the steadfast love of the Lord that we are called upon to look at with amazement. What kind of merciful God rescues the foolish and rebellious? Only the steadfast love of the Lord. This is why the psalm calls the redeemed of the Lord to give thanks for His steadfast love (2).
Finally, the psalm invites each one of us to write our own “some” stories, which might change during the different seasons of our lives. In some parts of our journey, we can identify with the challenges of trying to do business or making our way in a difficult economy. In other seasons, the bondage brought about by our own sin or the self-inflicted wounds of foolishness are all too clear. But, to really consider the steadfast of the Lord, we need to write our own story.
What is your “some” story? Are you struggling with living in a fallen world? Are you experiencing the consequences of foolish decisions? Are you struggling with the challenges of making ends meet? Are you in bondage to sin? What are you hungry for? Are you at your wits end? Are you looking for a city to dwell in? Do you need the Lord to send His word and heal you? Do you need the Lord to lead you in the straight way? Do you need the Lord to still the storm, to bring you to your desired haven?
For the redeemed, Psalm 107 calls us to consider the steadfast love of the Lord and give thanks.
For those in trouble and distress, Psalm 107 calls us to cry out to Him for His steadfast love endures forever.
This article is part of a yet to be published work by Pastor Todd Pylant entitled, “Ancient Problems, Modern Prayers.”