Psalm 107

Safe Harbour

Posted on by Betsy

Hurricane Erin is making her presence known along the Outer Banks today. Two days ago, visitors had to evacuate Hatteras Island for fear of high waves and ocean over wash that will make roads impassable for days. While a direct hit is not forecasted, any storm system off our waters creates hazardous conditions for us here on this fragile strip of land. It is often in these times that we see our communities pull together to help one another as we collectively seek safe harbor.

I had an unusual opportunity to offer safety to a total stranger on Monday. A post on our local Colington Harbour Facebook page asked for a safe dock for a large catamaran sailboat that was currently traveling from Annapolis to Hatteras. The decision was made to pull into Colington for the duration of the storm, and the sailor was looking for a place to tie up for a few days. I happen to have a large unused dock, so I quickly offered it. In less than an hour, this beautiful boat was safely secured to my dock. It gave me great joy to share my blessing with them. I too have known the need for safe harbor in my life.

Today’s reading is from Psalm 107. I hope you will take a moment to read it in its entirety today. This beautiful psalm was probably written during or just after the Babylonian exile, when a grateful people were able to return to Israel. It describes four different scenarios of deliverance, from being lost in the wilderness, to those who are imprisoned, to those sick and near death, and finally from those enduring dangerous seas. It is this portion that we will consider today.

Psalm 107 ( Common English Bible)

Some of the redeemed had gone out on the ocean in ships,
    making their living on the high seas.
24 They saw what the Lord had made;
    they saw his wondrous works in the depths of the sea.
25 God spoke and stirred up a storm
    that brought the waves up high.
26 The waves went as high as the sky;
    they crashed down to the depths.
The sailors’ courage melted at this terrible situation.
27     They staggered and stumbled around like they were drunk.
    None of their skill was of any help.
28 So they cried out to the Lord in their distress,
    and God brought them out safe from their desperate circumstances.
29 God quieted the storm to a whisper;
    the sea’s waves were hushed.
30 So they rejoiced because the waves had calmed down;
    then God led them to the harbor they were hoping for.
31 Let them thank the Lord for his faithful love
    and his wondrous works for all people.
32 Let them exalt God in the congregation of the people
    and praise God in the assembly of the elders.

Surely this psalm is a great reminder today of God’s faithful love for us. When we cry out to him in a storm, he hears us and rushes to our side. Even in those moments when the ginormous waves threaten to overcome us, God is our safe harbor. Jesus literally commanded with waves and the winds to be still, and he can command the storm of your life to release you if you cry out to him. Are you in desperate circumstances today? God is your safe harbor.

This psalm ends with a reminder to give thanks to our deliverer. Offering God our gratitude for his interventions in our lives is how this story ends. How does your story end? Has God delivered you? Are you still waiting? Give thanks.

Safe Harbour

Say So!

Posted on by Betsy

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!

Reflections of Glory by Kathy Schumacher

Give Thanks!

Posted on by Betsy

What does it mean to be redeemed?

When you study the roots of the word “redeemed,” you will find phrases like “buy back,” “win back,” and “to free from captivity by payment of ransom.” This last definition gets to the heart of the matter in a theological sense. Your very soul was freed when Jesus paid a ransom for it on the cross. YOU are one of the redeemed.

In our Psalm today, we receive instructions on what the redeemed should do. This is a terrific reminder this week as we prepare for Thanksgiving. How do you measure up? 

Here is what the psalmist suggests:

Give thanks to the Lord,

Say that his faithful love lasts forever,

Cry out to the Lord in your distress,

Offer thanksgiving sacrifices,

Declare what God has done,

Sing songs of joy!

Psalm 107 (Common English Bible)

“Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,
        because his faithful love lasts forever!”
2 That’s what those who are redeemed by the Lord say,
    the ones God redeemed from the power of their enemies,
3     the ones God gathered from various countries,
    from east and west, north and south.

Some of the redeemed were fools because of their sinful ways.
    They suffered because of their wickedness.
18 They had absolutely no appetite for food;
    they had arrived at death’s gates.

19 So they cried out to the Lord in their distress,
    and God saved them from their desperate circumstances.
20 God gave the order and healed them;
    he rescued them from their pit.

21 Let them thank the Lord for his faithful love
    and his wondrous works for all people.
22 Let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices
    and declare what God has done in songs of joy!

This psalm was written during the time when God redeemed the nation of Israel from captivity in Babylon. They had cried out and were heard. They suffered because of their wickedness and were delivered. They were sick to death and were healed of their desperate circumstances.

God redeemed his people.

Our challenge today is to choose one of the things that the redeemed do and go out and do it. Can you offer a thanksgiving sacrifice by paying for someone’s order in the drive-through line behind you? Can you call or text a friend and remind them of God’s faithful love? Perhaps you might sing a song of joy to the Lord today as you take a walk or spend extra time in prayer and offer God nothing but thanks.

We are the redeemed. We are his people. We are bought and paid for by the shed blood of the atonement. Give thanks! 

Let all the redeemed say so.

Give Thanks by Michelle Robertson

The Redeemed

Posted on by Betsy

What does it mean to be redeemed?

When you study the roots of the word you will find phrases like “buy back,” “win back,” and “to free from captivity by payment of ransom.” This last definition gets to the heart of the matter in a theological sense. Your very soul was freed when Jesus paid a ransom for it on the cross. YOU are one of the redeemed.

In our Psalm today, we receive instructions on what the redeemed should do. This is a terrific reminder in this season of Lent when we are trying to be more disciplined in spiritual matters. How do you measure up?

Here is what the psalmist suggests:

Give thanks to the Lord,

Say that his faithful love lasts forever,

Cry out to the Lord in your distress,

Offer thanksgiving sacrifices,

Declare what God has done,

Sing songs of joy!

Psalm 107 (Common English Bible)

“Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,
        because his faithful love lasts forever!”
2 That’s what those who are redeemed by the Lord say,
    the ones God redeemed from the power of their enemies,
3     the ones God gathered from various countries,
    from east and west, north and south.

Some of the redeemed were fools because of their sinful ways.
    They suffered because of their wickedness.
18 They had absolutely no appetite for food;
    they had arrived at death’s gates.
19 So they cried out to the Lord in their distress,
    and God saved them from their desperate circumstances.
20 God gave the order and healed them;
    he rescued them from their pit.
21 Let them thank the Lord for his faithful love
    and his wondrous works for all people.
22 Let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices
    and declare what God has done in songs of joy!

This psalm was written during the time when God redeemed the nation of Israel from captivity in Babylon. They had cried out and were heard. They suffered because of their wickedness and were delivered. They were sick to death and were healed of their desperate circumstances. God redeemed his people.

Our challenge today is to choose one of the things that the redeemed do, and go out and do it. Can you offer a thanksgiving sacrifice by paying for someone’s order in the line behind you? Can you call or text a friend and remind them of God’s faithful love? Perhaps you might sing a song of joy to the Lord today as you take a walk or spend extra time in prayer offering nothing but thanks.

We are the redeemed. We are his people. We are bought and paid for by the shed blood of the atonement. Give thanks!

Let all the redeemed say so.

Waiting for Sunrise by Michelle Robertson

The Sound of Freedom

Posted on by Betsy

Yesterday I sat in my favorite chair by the corner windows overlooking the harbor and I was startled by the sudden sound of jet noise. I looked up and saw Navy F-18s flying low in a tight formation. NAS Oceana is just over an hour away, and it is not uncommon for us to see Navy planes flying training hops over our beautiful island.

For the first eight years of my marriage, I was a Navy Pilot Wife. I am accustomed to the sound of freedom flying overhead. We lived close to Naval Air Stations where jet noise was a constant reminder of what freedom costs our young men and women as they serve in the skies.

And then there was that horrible time when no planes flew for days. After 9/11, air traffic was grounded for two days. I lived just south of the Atlanta airport at the time, and it was Twilight-Zone-eerie to walk the dog and not hear a single airplane overhead. That was unheard of; the Atlanta airport handles over 2,700 arrivals and departures a day. There was ALWAYS airplane noise…until there wasn’t.

On Thanksgiving, we remember the hazardous journey of intrepid immigrants looking to settle in a new land where they could have religious freedom. The first Thanksgiving was a meal that celebrated a late autumn harvest and their successful founding of a colony on a new continent. They gathered to thank God for his provision and their freedom.

Psalm 107 New International Version (NIV)

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

    his love endures forever.

2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—

    those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,

3 those he gathered from the lands,

    from east and west, from north and south.

4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,

    finding no way to a city where they could settle.

5 They were hungry and thirsty,

    and their lives ebbed away.

6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,

    and he delivered them from their distress.

7 He led them by a straight way

    to a city where they could settle.

8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love

    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,

9 for he satisfies the thirsty

    and fills the hungry with good things.

I am thankful for everything God provides; for the beasts of the field, the creatures in the sea, the sunrise over the ocean, and the moonrise over the canal. I am thankful for my family, friends, and a congregation who loves me. I am thankful for all those who serve our country and protect our freedom. I am thankful for my home and my dog, and for everything God has given me that brings so much happiness into my life.

What are you thankful for today?

This morning, I am especially thankful for all of you who want to be in God’s word every day. You make At Water’s Edge possible. Bless you, and THANK YOU for reading, and especially for sharing!

We give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind today. God satisfies the thirsty when we turn to him, and fills the hungry with good things. It happens every time we open the word or sit at the table. Have a wonderful feast today!

Flying High by Jamie Mathis