‘This year remember there is nowhere else to turn’ (Psalm 107)

 

‘This year remember there is nowhere else to turn’ (Psalm 107)

Martyn Lloyd-Jones criticised the language of ‘decision’.  He didn’t like how people claim to have made ‘a decision’ to follow Jesus.  It’s too soft.  It’s not desperate enough.  He writes, ‘A sinner does not ‘decide’ for Christ; a sinner ‘flies’ to Christ in utter helplessness and despair … the convicted sinner no more ‘decides’ for Christ than the poor drowning man ‘decides’ to take hold of that rope that is thrown to him and suddenly provides him with the only means of escape’ (Preachers and Preaching, 280).

In this psalm we see four groups of people cry out to God in their desperation: the lonely (4), the rebellious (11), the foolish (17) and the storm-tossed (23).

1.       The lonely

The lonely are in a wasteland.  They do not have a city.  They need other people.  We are not meant to live alone.

God in His great mercy puts the lonely in families (Ps. 68:6).  He brings us to Himself and He becomes our Father.  He brings us to His people and unites us with them.  We are on our way to a city—the New Jerusalem.

Do we think of our faith in simply private terms?  Do we think of it as a ‘personal’ relationship with God?  Christianity is not a solitary faith, it is to become part of a community.  If you keep other Christian’s at an arm’s length or you have no meaningful relationship with a church community then you are being immature, at best.

2.       The rebellious

In verse 11 we see those who have rebelled against God and come to painful awareness of their guilt.  Their conscience is tortured.  These verses are a little like Psalm 32, where King David had concealed his guilt after his affair with Bathsheba.  He only found relief when he acknowledged his wrong and confessed his guilt.  Then he experienced the joy of forgiveness.

The book of James tells us that we are to confess our sins to each other.  Why each other and not just God?  I think of three reasons: confessing our sins to each other humbles us, it also makes us accountable, and then, most importantly, it gives other Christians an opportunity to remind us of the gospel.  They can assure us that because of the cross, Jesus never turns away anyone who comes to Him.

3.       The fool

The fool (17) is a particular type of rebel.  Their behaviour has them on a path to death.  We might say that they have acted with a sense of self-destruction.  Tim Keller says that these people have become self-absorbed.  But God rescues us from ourselves and shows us how to live for Him.  He saves us from our own stupidity.  ‘Lord, show me how to live for you?’    

4.       The storm-tossed

The sea is a good picture of life.  Sometimes the waters are calm, often they are not.  Those who cry out, in verse 23, are in the middle of a storm, and they are scared.  Two things are noticeable.  Firstly, that the storm is under God’s control.  He sent it (25).  Our lives are never truly out of control when our trust is in Jesus.  Secondly, He speaks and stills the storm with a word.  Surely that brings our mind to the gospels where we see Jesus doing things that God does, because He is God the Son (e.g. Mark 4:35-39). 

You may be in the middle of a storm at the moment.  Jesus might come and still that storm.  We pray for deliverance.  Or, He might come and walk with is in that storm.

As you think about this psalm are you willing to admit that you are weak?  Do you see that in our loneliness we need God’s people, we need His family and that together we are traveling to a heavenly city?  Are you willing to admit that every day we let Him down, and every day we continue to receive His grace?  Can we see that our foolish choices have left us with many messes, but that He is willing to make our paths straight?  Will we look to Him, and trust Him, even when the storms in our lives make little sense to us?

Response

How are we to respond to the God who brings the lonely to a city, forgives our rebellions, sets our paths straight and still our storms?  This psalm begins by telling us, ‘Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, His love endures forever.  Let the redeemed tell their story.’ (1).  In fact, that command to give thanks come after each of the sections in this psalm (8, 15, 21 and 31).  Then the psalm finishes saying, ‘let the wise take heed and ponder’ (43).

We are the redeemed, if we trust in Christ.  That means that God paid a great price to free us for Himself.  We have reason to be glad.

We begin by pondering His goodness.  We ask God to let this fill us with gratitude.  Then it will become natural to speak to people about His kindness.