Psalms that Pspeak – Psalm 107 Mothers Day. God is faithful. Our Vision: Let’s see what God can do Psalms are poems and songs that were sung in Jewish worship services or festivals. Like any song that you listen to, there is a story behind the words. The words convey heartfelt emotions that resonate with us. That’s why the Psalms are turned to by many people for comfort. There are emotions of gladness, anger, doubt and rejoicing. On this Mother’s Day here is a word of encouragement no matter your situation. Here’s the focal point of the message today. God is faithful. Psalm 107 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. 2 Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. The three big words describing God… He is good. He has faithful love. He redeems you from your enemies. He is good. Psalm 107 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! God is good. His goodness is his gracious generosity in providing abundantly for our needs. 2. But there’s another word in this Psalm… He has faithful love. Psalm 107 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. 2 Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. This is one of the most oft repeated attributes of God in the Bible. Here it is called faithful love. Other versions call it lovingkindness. Other versions call it steadfast love. The word means something like this; when the person whom I have a right to expect nothing gives me everything. This is who God is… This is his goodness. Here is how faithful he is. 1 John 1:9 If we sin he is faithful to forgive. 2 Tim. 2:13 If we are faithless he is still faithful. 1 Cor. 10:13 In temptation he is faithful to help. Heb. 10:23 In His promises He is faithful. 2 Thess. 3:3 He will strengthen you when you meet dark powers because He is faithful. 1 Thess. 5:24 God makes things happen because He is faithful. Lamentations 3:23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. 3. God redeems. Psalm 107 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. 2 Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. And our response? Psalm 107 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. 2 Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. But the Psalm doesn’t end at verse 2. It tells 4 stories of how God rescues people who cannot rescue themselves. 4 hopeless stories. Maybe one of the stories is yours. First story… Psalm 107: 3 For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south. 4 Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. 5 Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. 6 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. 7 He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. 8 Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. 9 For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. Then there’s a second story…. Psalm 107:10 Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery. 11 They rebelled against the words of God, scorning the counsel of the Most High. 12 That is why he broke them with hard labor; they fell, and no one was there to help them. 13 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 14 He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; he snapped their chains. 15 Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. 16 For he broke down their prison gates of bronze; he cut apart their bars of iron. Third story… Psalm 107:17 Some were fools; they rebelled and suffered for their sins. 18 They couldn’t stand the thought of food, and they were knocking on death’s door. 19 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 20 He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death. 21 Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. 22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about his glorious acts. And one last story… Psalm 107:23 Some went off to sea in ships, plying the trade routes of the world. 24 They, too, observed the Lord’s power in action, his impressive works on the deepest seas. 25 He spoke, and the winds rose, stirring up the waves. 26 Their ships were tossed to the heavens and plunged again to the depths; the sailors cringed in terror. 27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards and were at their wits’ end. 28 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 29 He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. 30 What a blessing was that stillness as he brought them safely into harbor! 31 Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. 32 Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation and before the leaders of the nation. There was a real popular song a few years ago. “Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God…” Near the end of the Psalm is written; Psalm 107:33 He changes rivers into deserts, and springs of water into dry, thirsty land. 34 He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands, because of the wickedness of those who live there. 35 But he also turns deserts into pools of water, the dry land into springs of water. He simply saying that he can stop what needs to be stopped. He can change what needs to change. Isaiah says it beautifully; Isaiah 43:1 “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. 2 When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. The Psalm ends with this; Psalm 107:43 Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord. The wise take all this to heart. The wise see history and history just keeps announcing the faithful love of God. God will not fail you. Let’s see what GOD can do! Pastor Brian Harrell