Psalm Meditation 1020
Epiphany Sunday
January 5, 2020

Psalm 107
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town;
5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress;
7 he led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town.
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
9 For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and in gloom, prisoners in misery and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 Their hearts were bowed down with hard labor; they fell down, with 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 and gloom, and broke their bonds asunder.
15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze, and cuts in two the bars of iron.
17 Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to 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, and delivered them from destruction.
21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
22 And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.
23 Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the mighty waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their calamity;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunkards, and were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out from their distress;
29 he made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad because they had quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33 He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry live, and they establish a town to live in;
37 they sow fields, and plant vineyards, and get a fruitful yield.
38 By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their cattle decrease.
39 When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of distress, and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are glad; and all wickedness stops its mouth.
43 Let those who are wise give heed to these things, and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
(NRSV)

Most of us are content to do what we do on a daily basis without asking for help. As creatures of habit we go through our routines without a lot of thought about what we are doing or how we go about it. It sounds boring to put it that way, however, most of us are content with a regular routine with just enough difference that we can keep track of what day it is. When something out of the ordinary happens, something outside of our going through the motions routine, we are caught off guard and feel the need for extra prayer.

The psalmist describes a variety of ‘ordinary’ experiences that people have in the course of their lives. Some wander, some are in prison, some are sick, some work on the sea, and some as merchants for those sea-faring folk. Each of these groups have reason to cry out to God for deliverance from something out of the ordinary routine. In each case God delivered them from that which gave them reason to pray. It wasn’t about deserving help so much as it was asking for help and having God give more than what was requested.

Some call it a ‘fox hole conversion’ when we cry out to God at a time of extraordinary need. It describes those who turn to God for extra help when there is extra need. My experience is that those with deep and active faith do the same thing. They pray constantly and manage to find a way to pray more or with more urgency when there is an extra need for themselves or another. Either way, the psalmist assures us that God responds out of great love for us. “Let those who are wise give heed to these things, and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.”

December 30, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/