O
give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
those he redeemed from trouble
and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.[a]
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
those he redeemed from trouble
and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.[a]
Some
wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to an inhabited town;
hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress;
he led them by a straight way,
until they reached an inhabited town.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
For he satisfies the thirsty,
and the hungry he fills with good things. Psalm 107:1-9
finding no way to an inhabited town;
hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress;
he led them by a straight way,
until they reached an inhabited town.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
For he satisfies the thirsty,
and the hungry he fills with good things. Psalm 107:1-9
Later this
month, we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving.
Many will gather around a table with family members or friends to share
food and fellowship.
Psalm 107,
of which a portion is printed above, is a psalm of thanksgiving. This psalm contains a series of vignettes about
God’s deliverance: those lost in the
desert being led to an inhabited town, those in the darkest of prisons being
released and allowed to come into the light, those who suffered as a
consequence of their own mistakes being delivered, those on the verge of
shipwreck and drowning being brought to dry land. With each of these stories comes the refrain,
“Then they cried to the Lord in their
trouble, and he saved them from their distress…Let them
thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.”
At Emanuel Church, we have our own stories of deliverance –
remission from cancer and other diseases, release from addiction, rescue from
homelessness, relief from hunger. Our
stories may not be as dramatic as those of Psalm 107, but they are cause for
thanksgiving all the same.
An attitude of thanksgiving, an attitude of gratitude, can do
wonders for our outlook on life. If we
focus only on our problems, life can easily overwhelm us. And if we approach life with an attitude of
entitlement – an attitude that somehow “life owes us” – we will be disappointed
all the days of our lives. But, as Psalm
107 reminds us, even in the worst of calamities, we can call on the Lord for
deliverance from our distress. And even
in dire circumstances, if we look hard enough, we can find something for which
to be grateful. Indeed, tomorrow is not
promised to us, and so every day is a gift.
Psalm 107: 2 says, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble.” As
Christians, as those for whom Christ died, we are all “the redeemed of the LORD”. To quote from the Rev. Scott Bohr, former pastor
of Bridesburg Presbyterian church, thanksgiving can lead us to thanks-living May we live out our thanksgiving, our
gratitude, with words of kindness and deeds of generosity. And may our thanks-living extend to embrace
those who have no family nearby with whom to gather, no table around which to
gather, no food to share, no sheltering roof overhead. For whatsoever we do unto – or withhold from –
the least of Christ’s sisters and brothers, we do unto – or withhold from –
Christ. (Matthew 25:31-46)
See you in church!
Pastor Dave
No comments:
Post a Comment