God Hears You
Celebrating the Faithful Love and Goodness of God
Psalm 107
The Lord sees you. The Lord hears you. The Lord cares. The Lord rescues.
How often do I need to hear these words? So many days. When my heart sinks low and my energy drains out, the Psalms soothe, calm, and refresh my weary spirit.
A Soothing Song
The lengthy and descriptive verses of Psalm 107 sing over me with vulnerable emotion and waves of uplifting assurance. I find comfort in its repetitive chorus and poetry that leave no hidden pain unspoken. Affirmations enclose each lyrical section to speak truth into my places of vulnerability and doubt. The repetition admonishes me to remember God’s truth in the face of my circumstances. I speak them aloud to engage my body to embrace them— from my voice, to my ears, to my mind. Here is the New Living Translation:
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.
Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation and before the leaders of the nation.” (Psalm 107: 1, 8, 15, 21-22, 31-32)
Needy and Distressed
The circumstances inspiring the Psalmist’s praise and declarations of faith cover every direction of want and need.
“Nothing exceeds his attentive care. Nothing surpasses his ability to respond and reach me in the middle of my distress. Nothing hides me from his sight.”
Reading through the entire chapter, I hear the echoes of pain and prayers pulled from the Psalm’s descriptions:
wandered in the wilderness
lost and homeless
hungry and thirsty
nearly died
in darkness and deepest gloom
imprisoned in iron chains of misery
rebelled against the words of God
scorning the counsel of the Most High
cried in their trouble
no one was there to help them
suffered for their sins
couldn't stand the thought of food
knocking on death's door
distress
cringed in terror
reeled and staggered
at their wits' end
cried in their trouble
Absorbed all together, these places of need and distress can overwhelm, but God uses them to remind me that nothing escapes his notice. Nothing exceeds his attentive care. Nothing surpasses his ability to respond and reach me in the middle of my distress. Nothing hides me from his sight.
Loving Assurance and Rescue
After I receive his assurance that nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39), I let the waterfall of God’s works of love flow over me in restorative response to every need:
redeemed
gathered the exiles
rescued them from distress
led straight to safety
filled and satisfied
saved from distress
led from the darkness
snapped their chains
broke down their prison
cut apart their bars of iron
sent out his word and healed them
snatching them from the door of death
calmed the storm
brought them safely into harbor
turns deserts into pools and dry land into springs
brings the hungry to settle and build their cities
blesses them
rescues the poor from trouble
increases their families
Reading through each description raises my desire to praise along with the Psalmist’s. I understand his need to repeat the phrase again and again: “Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.”
A Call to Action
Wrapping up the persuasion of his message, the Psalmist offers a sobering encouragement and call to action:
“Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the LORD.” (Psalm 107:43)
I pray I may be wise and consider God’s works behind me and around me. I pray I may follow the Psalmist’s example, guiding my heart and mind to acclamations of faith as I wait for God’s sure response to my distress. I pray I may rest in the comfort of God’s word and ever “give thanks to the LORD, for he is good and his love endures forever.”
What rescue, relief, or blessing of love can you praise God for today?
If you enjoy the blog, join our email list to receive posts directly to your inbox!