Psalm 107

The text: Psalm 107

"Trouble Man."

Three certainties, according to Marvin: taxes, death, and trouble.

Psalm 107 adds a fourth certainty: the steadfast love (chesed) of the Lord.

"Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble...."

And the trouble from which we have been redeemed?

• desert wastes
• being lost
• hunger
• thirst
• darkness
• gloom
• prison
• bondage
• rebellion
• disobedience
• hard prison labor
• distress
• illness
• sinful ways
• affliction
• storms
• the terrors of the sea
• fear
• being at our wits' end
• oppression at the hands of princes
• trouble
• sorrow
• need
• calamity
• death

In fact, most of the images used in the bible to describe our human trouble are employed in this Psalm.

And our one hope for redemption is reiterated in a refrain that echoes through the Psalm, and all of scripture:

"Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
     and he delivered them from their distress."

Our response?

"Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
     for his wonderful works to the children of men."

The Lord's response to our troubles foreshadows Jesus' ministry. In fact, it seems as if Jesus modeled his ministry on this Psalm. Jesus ministered to 1) the lost and the hungry and thirsty, 2) prisoners and captives in need of deliverance, 3) the sick, and 4) he calmed the storms. These are precisely the four examples of troubles listed in Psalm 107. This makes perfect sense, as Jesus and the Father are one, the one Lord.

One of the beauties of this Psalm is it's artistry. It's not, as I have made it, just a list of troubles; it's a skillfully crafted set of mini-narratives and metaphors for trouble. Consider vv. 23-32, concerning those who "went down to the sea in ships." The storm comes and they are tossed about. But rather than merely rising to the top of one enormous wave before sliding down to the trough of the next, they "mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths." Those are big waves, and the metaphors catapult the image into the cosmic realm. Rather than just being afraid, "their courage melted away in their calamity." The image for trying to maneuver one's way across the deck of a storm-tossed ship is also perfect. Imagine it: "they reeled and staggered like drunkards." And finally, it's not that they don't know what to do, they are "at their wits' end." (I wonder if Psalm 107 is the origin of that phrase as it is the origin of some "who went down to the sea in ships.")

We will pray this Psalm differently as we go through life. Sometimes we will recount our redemption from trouble; sometimes we will cry out for redemption in our trouble. Today I pray as one who is in trouble. I pray for courage, because mine has melted away. I pray for calm and quiet in the midst of the storm. I pray for smooth sailing as I rise up to heaven and sink down to the depths. I pray that the Lord, in his steadfast love, will deliver me from my distress. And you from yours.

And as I wait, I sing with Marvin.