Psalm 106-107 A Roadmap From God

I saw in these chapters a path charted out to bring a sinner to redemption.  His cries are:  “Lord, remember me …. Help me when You save them.  Let me see the good things You do for Your chosen people.  Let me be happy … Let me join Your own people in praising You.”

He admits, “We have sinned … we have done wrong; we have done evil.”

So what does God do?  “But the Lord saved them for His OWN sake, to show His great power … He saved them from those who hated them … from their enemies … Then the people believed what the Lord said, and they sang praises to Him.”

It didn’t last long, however:  “They tested God there.  So He gave them what they wanted … They exchanged their glorious God for a statue of a bull … They forgot the God who saved them … They refused to go into the beautiful land … They did not believe what God promised.  They grumbled … and did not obey the Lord … The people became UNHOLY by their sins; they were unfaithful to God in what they did … The Lord saved His people many times, but they continued to turn against Him.  So they became even more wicked … But God saw their misery when He heard their cry … He felt sorry for them because of His great love … They were hungry and thirsty (spiritually), and they were discouraged … He led them on a straight road …He satisfied the thirsty and filled up the hungry .. He broke their pride … He brought them out of their gloom and darkness and broke their chains.  God gave the command and healed them…. They saw what the Lord could do … God guided them to the port they wanted.”

And what should our reaction be to His intervention in our lives?  The same as theirs:  “Let them give thanks to the Lord for His love and for the miracles He does for people.  Let them praise His greatness in the meeting of the people; let them praise Him…”

And lest we be tempted to forget all this, He concludes:  “Whomever is wise will remember these things and will think about the love of the Lord.”

Father, reading this was like watching a replay of my own life.  It reminds me too much of the movie Groundhog Day.  Just as I’d hate to be stuck in that loop, help me not to get stuck in the loop of loving You, then wanting what You don’t want me to have, and turning away from You to get it.  I know it’s better to skip to the end instead.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford