Our youngest set of grand-twins are in that formative language exploration stage. As can happen with twins, one does all the talking and the other nods silently in approval. The talkative one is stringing two words together now, and loves to say, “Hi Georgia!” to our dog whenever we are on a FaceTime call. The other one grins. Do you suppose their twin-language thing means that when he talks, she thinks she is talking, too? It’s fascinating.
The time will soon arrive when they are talking non-stop, and we may be tempted to feel nostalgic about their non-verbal baby phase. One of my children was so talkative, I once asked her to play the quiet game with me because my ears need a rest. She is now the wonderful mother of three happy and vibrant children who talk non-stop. Payback!
In our psalm today, the writer encouraged Israel to give thanks to the Lord and then he encouraged the redeemed of the Lord to “say so.” This caught me a little off guard when I read it, remembering that the night before, I had prayed nervous prayers for someone to arrive home safely and the minute they pulled in the driveway, I forgot to thank God. Has that ever happened to you?
So, this is a good reminder to not only offer thanks to God for his redemption, but to say so and tell others about what he has done in our lives:
Psalm 107 (New Revised Standard Version)
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.
Can you recall a time when God redeemed you from trouble? Even in those trying times when you barely escape with your life and you look back and think, “Well, I guess that could have been worse,” it is important to give God the glory and say so. God is in the redemption business and he redeemed the nation of Israel. They wandered, hungry and thirsty, and cried out to the Lord. He heard them and delivered them:
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.
Here is your challenge for today: find someone, somehow, somewhere, and tell them a redemption or deliverance story. Talk to a cashier. Share your story with a parent waiting at school pick-up. Send someone a text or email to tell them your good news.
Find a way to say so!
At Water’s Edge 