September 4, 2021 — Psalm 107:1–108:13         

“O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress; he led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.” Psalm 107:1-9

The overarching message for Psalm 107 is radical message – that there is ultimately no such thing as self-sufficiency. The Psalmist is suggesting that all human life depends upon G-d. The good news is that we can depend upon G-d. G-d is good, all the time, and all the time G-d is good. And G-d wants to share G-d’s goodness all the time. “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

The idea that self-sufficiency is anti-G-d is one of the many secularist messages that we usually hear from our society. Take care of Number 1…G-d helps those who help themselves (I don’t know that this is even biblical) – these are the phrases we hear from our society. As Lutherans we express our utter dependence on G-d. All things come from G-d – the same G-d who can turn a desert into pools of water, and a fruitful land into a salty waste.

Do you doubt that G-d is omni-present? I would ask that you simply look around –how can you not see G-d in all things?

Let Us Pray,

Lord, you are great in your goodness, and good in your greatness. Turn the desert areas of our lives into pools of living water and help us be fruitful in all works. Amen.

Pastor Dave