Psalm 107 Praise Anyway!

Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.

Psalm 107
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
2 Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has saved you from your enemies.


3 For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south. 4 Some wandered in the desert, lost and homeless. 5 Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. 6 "LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. 7 He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. 8 Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for all his wonderful deeds to them. 9 For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, miserable prisoners in chains. 11 They rebelled against the words of God, scorning the counsel of the Most High. 12 That is why he broke them with hard labor; they fell, and no one helped them rise again. 13 "LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 14 He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; he snapped their chains. 15 Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for all his wonderful deeds to them. 16 For he broke down their prison gates of bronze; he cut apart their bars of iron.
17 Some were fools in their rebellion; they suffered for their sins. 18 Their appetites were gone, and death was near. 19 "LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 20 He spoke, and they were healed – snatched from the door of death. 21 Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for all his wonderful deeds to them. 22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.
23 Some went off in ships, plying the trade routes of the world. 24 They, too, observed the LORD's power in action, his impressive works on the deepest seas. 25 He spoke, and the winds rose, stirring up the waves. 26 Their ships were tossed to the heavens and sank again to the depths; the sailors cringed in terror. 27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards and were at their wits' end. 28 "LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 29 He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. 30 What a blessing was that stillness as he brought them safely into harbor! 31 Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for all his wonderful deeds to them. 32 Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation and before the leaders of the nation.
33 He changes rivers into deserts, and springs of water into dry land. 34 He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands, because of the wickedness of those who live there. 35 But he also turns deserts into pools of water, the dry land into flowing springs. 36 He brings the hungry to settle there and build their cities. 37 They sow their fields, plant their vineyards, and harvest their bumper crops. 38 How he blesses them! They raise large families there, and their herds of cattle increase. 39 When they decrease in number and become impoverished through oppression, trouble, and sorrow, 40 the LORD pours contempt on their princes, causing them to wander in trackless wastelands. 41 But he rescues the poor from their distress and increases their families like vast flocks of sheep. 42 The godly will see these things and be glad, while the wicked are stricken silent. 43 Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the LORD.
The New Living Translation

~ Lena’s Journalin’~
This is one of the ways to complete victory. Praise.
Remember the NT story Jesus told of the 10 Lepers? 1 of the 9 returned to give account of their healing, to tell the priest and to give thanks. The one who did was made whole, while the others were healed. Do you know the difference? You can be healed and not made whole. Healing stops the disease from continuing, wholeness repairs and restores what the disease took away from your life. BIG difference. It is the same with victory. You can have the enemy stop taunting you for a bit, but to recover what he stole, takes wholeness. That comes with a thankful heart, who is willing to give praise by telling others. Praise spreads the gospel.
Ya know how Jesus exhorted us to remember Him? He took that from His Father, who would say over and over again to the people’s of the OT, “Remember what the Lord has done for you!” It is hard to remember. We have to make it a point to bring good things up again.
I personally think imprisonment is God’s grace to stop people in their tracks and give them time to think before something really bad happens, especially if wrong choices are involved. God is so gracious to teach us and give us chances. It is so sad when we are stubborn and won’t listen or we get embittered about being in a place our choices led us to be in, and refuse to see the root system of where it has all grown from. All of that is called immaturity. Funny thing about maturity. A young person can be mature and an older person can be immature. The growth of maturity depends on is the person’s willingness to hear others experiences, listen to their wisdom gained and take the person’s advice on life’s lessons.
Ever heard someone say to you, “Oh, I wouldn’t do that”? Then you go ahead and do it anyway? That is a lack of faith, trust and maturity. There is also rebellion involved. The resistant person wants to have their own experiences in life, and they will. They will pay for their rebellion and in ways they don’t count on, then later on they’ll wonder why they are paying such high prices in life for things. They chose to.
Obedience and wisdom are blessed by God. The enemy takes a hold of disobedience as fuel for his fires.
God is so faithful. When faith comes, wisdom comes, repentance comes, He answers. He does not delay.
He is not willing that any perish - die an eternal death due to their choices in sin, but that all should be able to obtain eternal life through Jesus Christ their Lord.
Sacrifices sometimes will lead us to a place of faith. Sacrifice must be made. Blood must be shed, lives have to be laid down for the gospel sake. Our gospel is based on the giving of a continual life. That’s covenant.
The Lord is Almighty, and those who lay their lives down, will see His glorious acts on their own behalf.
The sacrifice of praise is praise offered in faith, not because of what we see, but because of who we know. It is seeing beyond by faith. God is a faith inspired God. Offer anything in faith in Him and see His great and mighty acts manifest.

Daily Thought to Ponder -
“Oh Give Thanks to the Lord for He is Good!”