Psalm 107 is one of my favorite psalms. It begins with a phrase seen regularly in the psalms:
“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” (VS. 1)
And ends with a word of guidance:
“Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.” (VS. 43)
However, my favorite part of Psalm 107 comes in between. The unnamed psalmist describes four groups of people, each in the midst of unique hardship. The hardships of Groups 1 (I’ll call them “The Nomads”) and 4 (“The Gilligans”) appear to be through no fault of their own, while the hardships of Groups 2 (“The Jailbirds”) and 3 (“The Fools”) are self-inflicted. But ultimately, each of these groups counts themselves among “the redeemed of the LORD”. We’ll see why in a moment.
The Nomads (VS. 4-9) are wandering in the desert – hungry, thirsty, and tired. But the Nomads eventually found a home. They were redeemed.
The Jailbirds (VS. 10-16) also found themselves in a pickle. They were imprisoned because of their own misdeeds; God himself, in an act of righteous judgment, had put them there. But they didn’t stay there forever; God “brought them out of the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart” (VS. 14). They too, were redeemed.
The Fools (VS. 17-22) were in no better shape. They may not have been in jail; however, they too “suffered afflictions” because of their own actions. Perhaps this group was shackled not by iron chains, but the consequences of their own poor decisions. Their chickens had come home to roost, and the accumulation of their “sinful ways” (VS. 17) had them trapped. But – somehow, some way – they too were redeemed from destruction.
Finally, the Gilligans (VS. 23-32) had their own troubles. They don’t appear to have committed any specific sins to deserve their fate; they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their boat was overwhelmed by waves, so much so that even the most hardened swashbucklers on board started to sweat. “Their courage melted away” (VS. 26); they “were at their wits’ end” (VS. 27). And yet, they eventually made it through the storm, and sailed on through peaceful seas to a quiet port. They too were redeemed.
How exactly were the Nomads redeemed?
“Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.” (VS. 6)
What about the Jailbirds?
“Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.” (VS. 13)
And the Fools?
“Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.” (VS. 19)
And the Gilligans? You guessed it:
“Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.” (VS. 28)
Each of these groups could count themselves among “the redeemed of the LORD”. Whether they were wandering in a dry desert, fearing a watery grave, chained in a prison cell, or buried in an avalanche of bad choices. Whether their fate could be chalked up to some obvious fault of their own, or they were the victims of seemingly cruel circumstance. Each of these groups could look back and count themselves among “the redeemed of the LORD”. They cried out to God in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
The lesson of Psalm 107 is quite simple: it’s an invitation to God’s people to cry out to him in our trouble, confident that he can deliver us from our distress. This record of how God has delivered others from their troubles ought to encourage us to cry out to him in ours.
But be honest: when was the last time you cried out to the LORD in your trouble?
In a sense, every Christian has already done that. As the Apostle Paul says in Romans 10:13 (referencing Joel 2:32): “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Our faith in Christ is an acknowledgement that we are powerless to overcome the eternal trouble of our sin, and we desperately need the deliverance from our distress that only Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection can provide. But practically speaking – whether the worldly trouble you face was completely outside of your control, or a result of your own sin – when was the last time you cried out to the LORD?
If you haven’t done that in a while, now’s a good time to start. We don’t have to worry about annoying God with our concerns; Psalm 107 is an invitation for us to cry out him (even if our current troubles don’t seem as extreme as those of the Nomads, the Jailbirds, the Fools, or the Gilligans). And we certainly shouldn’t doubt God’s ability to deliver us from our distress; to see his power, just read VS. 33-42.
And even if you don’t have any particular troubles at this moment – if you think you’ve got things pretty well under control – Psalm 107 invites you to cry out to God in a different way.
Remember the two verses at the beginning and the end of Psalm 107?
“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” (VS. 1)
“Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.” (VS. 43)
You may not be in as dire shape at this moment as the four groups in Psalm 107. But as a believer in Jesus, you have just as much reason to cry out to God as they did – to cry out in praise and adoration. Psalm 107 doesn’t just teach us to cry out to God in bad times when we need his help. Psalm 107 also teaches us to cry out to God with thanks for his steadfast love in good times.
You’ve been saved from your eternal trouble; you’ve been delivered from your distress. You’ve been redeemed by the broken body and shed blood of Jesus. You can cry out to God with the confidence that he sees you, hears you, and loves you as his child.
So cry out to God in times of hardship, and times of peace. Cry out to God with requests, and with worship. Cry out to God in times of sorrow, and times of joy. No matter what circumstances we’re in, we have reason to cry out to God.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so.
