THE LORD IS CLOSE TO THE NEEDY

Reading: Isaiah 61:1-3

Recently, during our sermon series, “THANKfull,” Pastor Jeff used Psalm 107 as the text for “A Thankful Life is a Resilient Life.” I began smiling as I listened to the familiar verses, thinking, “Hey, this is ‘my’ psalm!” It has been “mine” since June 8, 1983, when I made my first of many margin notations throughout the years. I was curious to see how Pastor Jeff was going to use these verses to show resiliency. He did it brilliantly by highlighting 4 areas of difficulty and the final outcomes of each:

• ·         Lost travelers – finally reach their destination
• ·         Prisoners – set free at last
• ·         Sick people – healed from near death
• ·         Helpless/overwhelmed – rescued in nick of time

We see that in each of these problems, people were able to bounce back because they chose to be thankful (see vs 8, 15, 21, 31). But I wondered how they were able to get to this point of thanks, what led them to being resilient. I noticed that after every description, there was a recurring refrain that happened after each group was “at their wits end (vs 27).”  “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distresses (see vs 6, 13, 19, 28).”

I realized when reading today’s verses in Isaiah 61, there is a similar structure and theme, only it is more from God’s perspective rather than ours as needy people. That is, He speaks first from what He does for people in their need:

• ·         He brings good news to the afflicted
• ·         He binds up the broken-hearted
• ·         He proclaims liberty to captives
• ·         He gives freedom to prisoners
• ·         He provides comfort to all who mourn

Then, centuries later, Jesus applied these verses to himself when he was speaking in the temple (see Luke 4:16-20), especially verse 1, which says that Christ was anointed by the Lord God and given His Holy Spirit to be and do all these things! Hallelujah – What a Savior! He sticks close to us to give us all we need to navigate through life. So no matter how we are down and out (afflicted, broken-hearted, etc), Jesus is there to bring exactly what we need to stand tall.

In verse 3, we are called “Oaks of Righteousness” by God, standing tall, as “a planting of the Lord – that He may be glorified!”

Lord, I am so thankful that you are always by my side, rescuing me from myself and anything that comes my way. Help me grow into the name you have given me, “Oak of Righteousness” that I may reflect your glory more each day. Amen.

Giving Thanks

Psalm 107

Psalm 107 is 43 verses long.  In 7 of those verses, God's people 'cry out to the Lord in their trouble' (vs. 8, 13, 19 and 28).  And each time they cry out, God saves them from their distress.

Were the Israelites slow learners?  Certainly after the fourth or fifth time of being in trouble, they would figure out that there has got to be a better way.....ah, but all too often, we modern day Christians do just the same thing.  We cry out to the Lord in our trouble, he rescues us, we dust ourselves off, get back up, and continue to run our own lives, forgetting to give God the glory.

What recommendations does the Psalmist have to correct this cycle?  A simple yet profound act:  give thanks to the Lord.

• Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. (v. 1)
• Give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind (vs. 8, 16, 21, 31).  Yes, four times.  Give thanks to the Lord.

How do we give thanks?  Through prayers, song, serving, confessing and asking for the strength to turn aside from sin and sorrow.

Have you ever tried this?  Have you shared your thankful heart with a friend?  With a coworker?  With a loved one?  Verse 2 says "let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story."  We all have a story to tell, and when we have a bad experience, we are more likely to pass on our dissatisfaction.  The way to stop that cycle is to Give Thanks in All Circumstances! (I Thessalonians 5:18).

Thanksgiving is around the corner.  We are all getting ready to head to family or friends and enjoy the most caloric, tradition-laden meal of the year.  Why not include a time of thanksgiving that focuses on all that God has done for us?  

Here's a song to help you get started on giving thanks as you re-read Psalm 107.  The psalm ends with this verse, and I would urge you to join the psalmist in pondering God's love:

Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.

 Watch a video here. 

Sovereignty Surpasses Sin

We worry, don't we, about the spiritual wellbeing of our family, our friends and our neighbors, particularly those who reduce God to an afterthought (or would have us think so, anyway).  Our faith teeters in tremors of doubt; our confidence ebbs in rip tides of fear.  But as the Psalmist observes, God's sovereignty extends over everything; even people's "lostness" - in whatever form - he turns to their own good and to his own glory.  

When spiritual wanderers - hungry and thirsty for truth, yet clueless about where to find it - cry out to God, he hears them and he delivers them from distress.  He "satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things."  (Psalm 107:4-9). 

When those who "rebel" against God's words and "despise" his counsel cry out to him, he saves them from their darkness and distress.  He bursts chains forged in arrogance and cuts through iron bars wrought in bitterness.  (Psalm 107:10-16). 

When those mocked by their own rebellion suffer the consequences of their actions and cry out to God, he sends forth his word to him; he heals them and rescues them. (Psalm 107:17-22). 

When those who set out to adventure life in their own strength and for their own purposes become overwhelmed by the raging seas of reality and cry out to God, he stills their storms, saves their souls and calms their hearts.  (Psalm 107:23-32).  

Do any of these describe your story or that of someone you know?  Then rest in this: Though our sinful souls drive us away from God in a thousand different directions, he pursues us in love and in pity.  His sovereignty extends even over our sin and the consequences of our foolish choices.  And when we reach the end of ourselves, there we will find him, open-armed - eager to nourish us, heal us and make us whole.  

So let us celebrate God's sovereignty.  Let us pray to him in thanksgiving and not in fear.   For faithful is he who loves us more than we love ourselves.  

[Click here to read Psalm 107:1-32.]. 

Vangie's Story

The Psalmist wrote of God, "He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.  Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love ..." (Psalm 107:14, 15).  Three thousand years later, God still delivers his people from darkness, and his people still proclaim his love.  

Take three minutes to be blessed by Vangie's testimony of deliverance.  And give thanks to the Lord with her, for he is good.

Click on this link: Vangie's Story.  Then scroll down on the page just a bit and play the video. 

Prayer is Building

At some point in each of our lives we could easily fall into one of these categories: Drifter, Detainee, Distraught or Distressed.  For some of us we have found ourselves in each of these emotional, spiritual and even physical places. There is probably a story to accompany each; a story that needs to be told so that our lives can be a testimony to the One who saves.

Drifters  - Psalm 107:4 (MSG)  Some of you wandered for years in the desert, looking but not finding a good place to live,

Detainees - Psalm 107:10 (MSG) Some of you were locked in a dark cell, cruelly confined behind bars,

Distraught - Psalm 107:17 (MSG) Some of you were sick because you'd lived a bad life, your bodies feeling the effects of your sin;

Distressed - Psalm 107:28 (MSG) Then you called out to GOD in your desperate condition; he got you out in the nick of time. 

Having been redeemed, it is time to speak up and speak out.  When God moves in our lives we have a duty to share that story with someone.  The fact that God never wastes a hurt tells me that I must share my experience with someone.  Personally, as a new widow, I have a story to tell and I am open to coming alongside another grief-stricken individual.

Psalm 107:13 (NIV)  Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 

What has God freed you from?  What pain has He allowed you to experience so that you can give another person the gift of understanding and of encouragement?  You will find yourself singing a new song..."Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 107:1 (NIV) 

Psalm 107