Psalm 107
Thanksgiving Day is upon us - an American holiday that is eagerly anticipated by many, including myself! I love the food and family time, and it seems that life takes on a little bit more charm from now until the end of the year. Yet there is one thing lacking in our modern holiday of Thanksgiving, something I don’t appreciate at all; our culture has removed the simple act of thanksgiving from Thanksgiving. We are often so focused on the meal that we miss the original and obvious intent. The Pilgrims who founded Plymouth colony in Massachusetts had endured extreme hardship, with only about half of them surviving the first winter. It would have been easy for them to believe that God had abandoned or cursed them, or that there was no God at all. And yet after having lost so much, at the close of the first harvest they sat down to a feast of thanksgiving to the Maker of heaven and earth.
In our shortsightedness and self-centeredness, we have the tendency to at best be thankful only “in the moment” – when things are going right. When things are not going so right, it is easy for us to feel forgotten. Our faith withers, our hearts wander, and the enemy of our souls takes every opportunity to fill our minds with deceptive thoughts that lead us into darkness and despair.
The truth is, we have nothing that hasn’t come to us from God - even our very lives and existence. For the child of God, there is always something for which to give thanks.
Psalm 107 begins with a call to give thanks -הֹדוּ לַיהוה (Hodoo L’adonai) - often translated “give thanks to the Lord.” The root Hebrew verb carries the primary meaning of to acknowledge or confess. In this context it is a call to acknowledge or confess God’s attributes - who He is, His character, His great works as Creator and Redeemer. When we acknowledge and confess these things to Him, it naturally leads us to being thankful. True thanksgiving, therefore, is not based upon our circumstances - it is based upon the person and character of God.
This idea is illustrated in what follows in verse two. We are admonished to be thankful for two reasons:
God is good:
Is God good all the time, or just when things are going well for us? This question is the greatest obstacle to faith among believers and non-believers alike. It is easy to see God as good when we are comfortable and things are going well for us, but what about when we are not so comfortable, and things are not so good? In such circumstances, is God bad? Cold, distant, or indifferent?
Dr. Peter Kreft asks this rhetorical question: “Is it possible that infinite wisdom would tolerate evil for a finite period of time in order to accomplish a greater good that may not be perfectly clear from our imperfect perspective and understanding?”
The above question can be illustrated with the following story:
A dog wanders in the woods and is accidentally stuck in a bear trap. Soon after, a hiker discovers the dog and attempts to free it from the trap. The dog snaps and bites at the hiker as he attempts to free it from its predicament. Is the hiker evil? The dog interprets the hiker’s action as evil, because it doesn’t have the wisdom or perspective that the hiker does, who understands that the dog must experience this pain and discomfort for it to be free. Now if our human understanding and perspective is greater than the dog’s, how much more is God’s understanding than ours? As the prophet Isaiah reminds us:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8–9 ESV)
We need to trust God. He is good. And when we acknowledge and confess this to Him, we become thankful.
2. His mercy endures forever.
כִי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֺ
"ki l’olam chasdo." The scriptures abound with this idea. The key word of this phrase is the Hebrew noun "chesed," and depending on your preferred English translation the meaning of this word is love, mercy, kindness, steadfast love, lovingkindness, faithfulness, loyal love, faithful love, and likely some additional variations. Which translation is correct? They all are, actually. There is no single English word that can adequately express the meaning of the Hebrew idea of chesed. It is God's deep affection, devotion, and favor towards His own. Like a parent's love for their child, there is nothing we can do to earn God's chesed, and nothing is able to separate us from it.
Truth: God has, is, and is going to be actively involved in your life. Nothing and no one is able to separate you from his chesed. If you have set your faith and trust in Jesus the Messiah, you are redeemed (verse 3), and you belong to Him. When we “say so” (as we are admonished to do) – acknowledge and confess this, it leads us to give thanks to the One from whom all blessings flow.
God’s devotion to you is steadfast and reliable, regardless of how good you are, or the decisions you make.
The remainder of Psalm 107 expounds upon this in relation to those who are “the redeemed of the Lord.” Yes, God’s people experience difficult circumstances. Some are due to our own foolish choices and sin, while others fall under the heading of “life happens.”
As we read through verses 4-32, we might identify with one, or even all the four groups of people described here. Some found themselves wandering, in search of a home, a sense of self, love, happiness, or meaning (verse 4-9). Often life turns out for us in certain ways that create obstacles and challenges. Some found themselves held captive “because they rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High” (verses 10-16). These are self-inflicted wounds, resulting in broken relationships, physical conditions, addictions, and destroyed reputations. Others were afflicted because of their own sin (verses 17-22), and no doubt felt like they messed up their lives, and everyone around them knows it. Others were tossed by the storms of life, unable to control the conditions of their lives (verses 23-32).
If you’re able to relate to any of this (most of us can at some point in our lives), then it’s important to note that scripture lays out the same pattern for each one of these types of circumstances:
God’s people found themselves in trouble
God’s people cried out to the Lord
He saved them from their troubles
A call to thanksgiving follows - “Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!” (Psalm 107:8 ESV)
The psalm concludes with verses 33-42, which so poetically remind us of the great truth that God is able to turn any situation around. There is nothing we are living through that he is not aware of, nothing out of His sight, and nothing He can’t deal with. I am reminded of the words of Paul: “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37 ESV).
As we enjoy this Thanksgiving, let us remember the source of all life, breath, and blessing: the One whose steadfast love never fails. And let us remember to add thanksgiving back into Thanksgiving:
“Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD” (Psalm 107:43 ESV).