Psalm 107
“O give thanks to the Lord for he is good;
for his love endures for ever.”
Let them say this, the Lord’s redeemed,
whom he redeemed from the hand of the foe
and gathered from far-off lands,
from east and west, north and south.
Some wandered in the desert, in the wilderness,
finding no way to a city they could dwell in.
Hungry they were and thirsty;
their soul was fainting within them.
Then they cried to the Lord in their need
and he rescued them from their distress
and he led them along the right way,
to reach a city they could dwell in.
Let them thank the Lord for his love,
for the wonders he does for his people:
for he satisfies the thirsty soul;
he fills the hungry with good things.
Some lay in darkness and in gloom,
prisoners in misery and chains,
having defied the words of God
and spurned the counsels of the Most High.
He crushed their spirit with toil;
they stumbled; there was no one to help.
Then they cried to the Lord in their need
and he rescued them from their distress.
He led them forth from darkness and gloom
and broke their chains to pieces.
Let them thank the Lord for his goodness,
for the wonders he does for his people:
for he bursts the gates of bronze
and shatters the iron bars.
Some were sick on account of their sins
and afflicted on account of their guilt.
They had a loathing for every food;
they came close to the gates of death.
Then they cried to the Lord in their need
and he rescued them from their distress.
He sent forth his word to heal them
and saved their life from the grave.
Let them thank the Lord for his love,
for the wonders he does his people.
Let them offer a sacrifice of thanks
and tell of his deeds with rejoicing.
Some sailed to the sea in ships
to trade on the mighty waters.
These have seen the Lord’s deeds,
the wonders he does in the deep.
For he spoke; he summoned the gale,
tossing the waves of the sea
up to heaven and back into the deep;
their souls melted away in their distress.
They staggered, reeled like drunkards,
for all their skill was gone.
Then they cried to the Lord in their need
and he rescued them from their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper:
all the waves of the sea were hushed.
They rejoiced because of the calm
and he led them to the haven they desired.
Let them thank the Lord for his love,
for the wonders he does for his people.
Let them exalt him in the gathering of the people
and praise him in the meeting of the elders.
He changes streams into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
fruitful land into a salty waste,
for the wickedness of those who live there.
But he changes desert into streams,
thirsty ground into springs of water.
There he settles the hungry
and they build a city to dwell in.
They sow fields and plant their vines;
these yield crops for the harvest.
He blesses them; they grow in numbers.
He does not let their herds decrease.
He pours contempt upon rulers,
makes them wander in trackless wastes.
They diminish, are reduced to nothing
by oppression, evil and sorrow.
But he raises the needy from distress;
makes families numerous as a flock.
The upright see it and rejoice
but all who do wrong are silenced.
Whoever is wise, let them heed these things.
And consider the love of the Lord.
Reflection
I remember encountering this Psalm as a young person, and being struck by the description ‘up to heaven and back into the deep’. I lived by the sea, and loved the power of the waves. I lived with a parent with bi-polar, and feared the swings from manic ‘ups’ to deep depressions. It was the first time I found worship words that resonated with my lived experience, felt held, and felt God’s love extended into the world of those living with mental health issues.
As I grew up and supported friends and family through eating disorders, post-natal depression, life-limiting injuries and long-term medical conditions, many of the physical descriptions of tough places in this psalm have resonated with the emotional worlds they have inhabited. A psalm of comfort to the extent that these human conditions are known and understood, included within the story of God’s saving grace – however far beyond that people may believe themselves to be as they suffer.
The Psalmist makes a simplistic link between sin and affliction, calling out to God and rescue. My experience is much less straightforward – I could not say that anyone ‘deserved’ mental or physical ill health; and I can testify to many, many prayers for relief that appear unanswered. Rather I wonder if such individual suffering is a symptom of collective failings, and if our response to it too often is a symptom of our deep-seated individualism. We are called to be the body of Christ such that when one part suffers, all suffer; and when one part is honoured, all rejoice in that honouring.
Psalms are for sharing in worship – and together we can say “O give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his love endures for ever” for this is our faith community experience. We are called to live this out through offering such enduring love to those who suffer in body, mind or spirit – and rediscovering God’s love anew and deeply in the midst of that.
Prayer
We pray for all who are hungry and thirsty,
in darkness and gloom,
in misery and chains,
whose spirits are crushed;
those sick or loathing food,
those tossed up to heaven and back into the deep,
whose souls melt away:
whoever is wise, let them heed these things.
and consider the love of the Lord.
“O give thanks to the Lord for he is good;
for his love endures for ever.”
Amen