Let the Redeemed Say So

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. ² Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, ³ those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. ⁴ Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. ⁵ They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. ⁶ Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. ⁷ He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. ⁸ Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, ⁹ for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. ¹⁰ Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains, ¹¹ because they rebelled against God’s commands and despised the plans of the Most High. ¹² So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. ¹³ Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. ¹⁴ He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. ¹⁵ Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, ¹⁶ for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron. ¹⁷ Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. ¹⁸ They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death. ¹⁹ Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. ²⁰ He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. ²¹ Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind. ²² Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy. _{(Psalm 107:1‑22, NIV)}

Here we have an excerpt from Psalm 107. In this psalm, we can see that God saves sinful people. The psalmist covers of a wide range of sorrowful and difficult situations. Whether it was the person’s own doing, or not, doesn’t really matter because the Lord’s unfailing love is greater than our guilt. To transgress is to willfully violate what we fully know is right to do. The punishment comes upon a person, not so much as a direct action of God’s will, but as an indirect result of living life as one pleases. The story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) is a great example of this—of how, even reckless and rebellious living cannot truly separate us from the love of Christ. So, don’t give up praying, hoping, seeking. “Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story” (v. 2). What stories can you tell of God unfailing love?

A sobering point of this psalm is that too often people do not call upon God until calamity strikes. Storms come upon us all; sudden difficulty or severe sickness may arrest us from our unperceived or willful spiritual decline. But the text implies that if the Lord is sought with a contrite heart, crying for deliverance, the calamity may be reversed. And God’s will is for our healing, both spiritual and physical! The Lord will hear such a cry; and when He does, He heals us with “His word” (v. 20). The Redeemed of the Lord don’t want to sin. The redeemed of the Lord rejoice because Christ has delivered us from sin. Our story is not only that the Lord Jesus has saved us from sin, but that we seek Him through the Spirit to strengthen us and keep us from sin! We are the people of Christ has redeemed—“that He might sanctify and cleanse us ^* with the washing of water by the word” Ephesians 5:26, NKJV).