Forever

DEVOTION

PSALMS

FOREVER

Ps 107:1-9

107:1

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say this — 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 men, 9 for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

NIV

This may be speaking of the wanderings of the Israelites as in the dispersion when many were carried off into captivity. But this speaks even more to the general condition of man living in the land of the foe, who would be the prince of this world, Satan. Jesus, having ascended into heaven, sent the Holy Spirit to convict men of their sin and need for repentance. He has been sent all over the earth to gather from the lands, from the east and west, from the north and south. This song describes the condition of humankind without the presence of God in their lives. Once we wandered in a desert wasteland and we could find no city where we could settle. This city we could not find was the city of God. We were in this wasteland of darkness, and there we could not see to find our way to the city of light. We were indeed hungry and thirsty. We were looking for a way out of our desert, our life was ebbing away. But somehow the Spirit was able to shine into our darkness, our hungry and thirsty soul and showed us a way into the city of light. He shown the light into our desert wasteland and gave us a hope, so we called out to the Lord, we said, “forgive us, we repent”, and he did. He delivered us from all the distress in our spirit, in our soul, in our life. He lead us on a straight path right into his city, his kingdom and we then found a place to settle down finding a contentment that was never in our wasteland wanderings. His love is beyond measure to take the time, effort to come into our desert wasteland and redeem us, find us and bring us into his city where he satisfies all our thirst and fills our hunger with good things. His love is unfailing and his deeds for us are wonderful. How could we not give thanks to the Lord? He is good and his love endures forever.