Read Psalm 107:1-9. 1Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! 2Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble 3and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. 4Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; 5hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. 6Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 7He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in. 8Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! 9For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
Redeemed.
This is the position of not only Israel, but all who dwell in Christ and in whom Christ dwells. Israel was redeemed out of Egypt and later out of Babylon. Redemption was built into Israelite societal law through the kinsman redeemer who was obliged to deliver a relative out of debt or slavery (like Boaz and Ruth).
The psalmist chooses to use very general terms to describe our desperate situation. Wandering. Lost. Homeless. Hungry and thirsty. Fainting. Discouraged.
Can you relate?
But the redeemed have found deliverance from distress. Guidance to a city. Satisfaction for the longing soul. Good things to fill the hungry soul.
Are not these the spiritual gifts Christ our Redeemer offers to us in abundance? Is he not the Way? The Bread? The Living Water? The Abundant Life? The Giver of Rest? Our Deliverer? Our Dwelling? Our Destiny? If Christ is not all these things for all eternity, then are we not simply to be the pitied and not the promoted?
But if he is all these things (he is), then may the redeemed of the Lord say so. That’s to live is Christ – to not only live in the redeemed state, but to declare our redemption to the world around us. Praise the Lord!
You: In what way can you relate to the turn-around in this psalm? From wandering to delivered? From hungry to satisfied?
You in Christ: How is our position in Christ similar to the redemption of the Israelites from Egypt?
Christ in you: How might you tell the world of your redemption in Christ?
Pray: Jesus, you have redeemed my life and now you satisfy my soul. May I declare this to all around me in word and deed. Amen.
To Live is Christ 