On the 14 February our recording of the Sunday teaching failed. Here is a summary of that message by Allan Johnston:
We are not all the same. Psalm 107 talks about four different groups of people. It is topped and tailed by “Let the redeemed of the Lord speak up.” And “Let the wicked shut their mouths.”
Group One – Wanderers, lost in the desert
- Missing persons for whom no one was searching.
- They cried to the Lord – and He rescued them.
- They gave thanks. He satisfies the longing soul.
- He brought them to a city. Previously they had cried out in solitude – but they gave thanks in the crowd.
Group Two – Prisoners, sat in a dark dungeon
- They had neglected God’s words and were filled with despair. Depression is a terrible, unseen, misunderstood inner prison.
- They Cried to the Lord – and He delivered them by cutting the bars of iron. A dramatic rescue operation.
- It’s a wonderful thing to get the someone to pray for you, but these folk prayed for themselves.
- “They Cried out to the Lord…” is a repeated chorus, and so is is “They gave thanks… “
- It is a fair conclusion that the louder the first cry (despair) – the louder the second (thanks).
Group Three – Fools, in trouble through their own foolishness
- They brought their disaster upon themselves.
- Strangely, God responds to their cry in exactly the same way – even though others could see they were getting what they deserved.
- Iniquity is the kind of sin that carries its own curse.
- Often we think of the classic things such as drugs or gambling as being self-destructive – but there are is a variety of ways we can be self-destructive.
Group Four – Drowning, in peril at sea
- Sailing in deep water they encounter the storm – and, with some urgency, cry out to the Lord.
- That was not a time to say a little prayer. When the ship if filling up with water and the crew are ill we get serious.
- The Lord calms the storm, they arrive safely “and are glad” – brilliantly understated!
- These guys did nothing to cause the storm – but they did do something to still it.
Final thoughts…
It seems that the urgency and drama escalates through the psalm – but the repeated refrain is the same. But perhaps with greater volume? We are not all the same and nor are our circumstances – but we should all get pretty noisy when we’re in trouble – and when we get saved.
The wicked shut their mouths. The wicked are quick to argue about creation and the well-publicised views of atheists, or point out hypocrisy in the church. But they can’t argue with when we bring your stories. They cannot deny, when we cried out – and see the clear hand of God delivering us.
Let them extol Him in the congregation & praise Him in the Elders’ meeting. Make a loud noise. Make yourself a ‘nuisance’. Don’t wait to be given a rota space. Your distress wasn’t in the church diary – neither was your cry for help. If you like God enough, and “are glad” break into the programme. Break into the meeting. Spoil the plan. The upright rejoice.
If we are still in the ‘crying out’ stage and hear the shouts of praise of others, then do we applaud and cheer? Or do we grumble, God hasn’t answered our prayer? Well, the upright join in the celebration. We learn to be unselfish and we allow the blessing on others to encourage us.
