Steadfast Love

an invitation to meditate on Psalm 107 with me

I recently discovered that Dwell Bible app is featuring a reading plan that was developed to accompany a Bible study I wrote for Lifeway called Steadfast Love. When I first came across Psalm 107, I connected with it quickly and deeply. Where most psalms read more like poetry, this psalm has all the markings of a great song. It has a clear introduction, verses, a refrain, and cadence. I can even hear the melody every now and then when I recite it aloud. Here’s a sample:

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
whom he has 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 a city to dwell in;
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
till they reached a city to dwell in.
Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

Some sat in darkness and the shadow of death,
prisoners in affliction and in irons,
for they had rebelled against the words of God,
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
they fell down, with none to help.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and burst their bonds apart.
Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
For he shatters the doors of bronze
and cuts in two the bars of iron.

Psalm 107:1 - 16

Do you hear the refrain? The crescendo and decrescendo? The imagery? The empathy?

Who hasn’t felt lost and alone?

Who hasn’t felt hungry or thirsty, longing to be filled with good things?

Who hasn’t felt burdened by sin and darkness?

Who hasn’t needed to be reminded to thank the Lord for all He has done for you, for the children of man?

Isn’t it all just lovely?

What I’d love to do over the next few weeks is memorize and savor this psalm together. I won’t go as deeply into the text as the Bible study does (so, if you want more, use the link on my page to purchase it!). Instead, I’ll share fresh thoughts and insights. After all, Scripture is a multi-faceted gem that, while it always has its original meaning and context, still offers countless angles that reflect the character of God and His loving and redemptive plan for His people.