Scripture: Psalms 107:1 – “Give thanks to the Lord; for he is good. His steadfast love endures forever”
Message: The same song of which the Israelites sang before they saw victory over their enemy is pictured within the Psalms (107, 118, and 136). Which for a side note; the book of Psalms has literally been a lifeline to me along the grief journey. The rays of emotions are noteworthy especially to anyone struggling. But within this particular Psalm one can gather that no one and no circumstance is too far out of God’s reach. There are about 6 different examples of people who have gotten into sticky situations and they each cried out to God who acted on their behalf.
My favorite example is the sailor in the ship (Psalms 107: 23-31). The sailor was simply going along “doing business” when “stormy winds” with “waves of the sea” crashed which in result had their “courage melted away.” I’m using that description for a comparison of my grief journey: yes there are the handful of other trials of which can be related to here but for this purpose I’m using the nagging grief.
Sometimes God hushes the waves; as He did within this Psalm and other times He doesn’t as seen in the Gospel of Matthew. I quote Timothy Keller, “Life troubles will sink us, if we are on our own. But God is our haven in storms (verse 30). And the New Testament reminds us that he helps us two ways—either by removing the storm (Mark 4:35–41) or by enabling us to walk through it, looking to him (Matthew 14:29–31).
For that reason, I can echo Psalms 107:1. Christ didn’t only prove His love for me upon the cross but He too fills my life with many blessings even as I face the difficulties that life throws at all of us in one fashion or another. I can know that heaven is my home and that every little bump on my way there can be used in His hand to do what only He can do!
Call to action: Reflect upon a difficulty of which God helped you through and is there anyone in your life who you could encourage with by sharing your experience?