1-3 Give thanks to the Lord for He is good! His loving-kindness lasts forever! Let the people who have been saved say so. He has bought them and set them free from the hand of those who hated them. He gathered them from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. 4-5 Some travelled through the desert wastes. They did not find a way to a city where they could live. They were hungry and thirsty. Their souls became weak within them. 6-8 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble. And He took them out of their suffering. He led them by a straight path to a city where they could live. 9 Let them give thanks to the Lord for His loving-kindness and His great works to the children of men! For He fills the thirsty soul. And He fills the hungry soul with good things.

10-12 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death. They suffered in prison in iron chains because they had turned against the Words of God. They hated what the Most High told them to do. So He loaded them down with hard work. They fell and there was no one to help. 13-15 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and He saved them from their suffering. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death. And He broke their chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His loving-kindness and His great works to the children of men! 16 For He has broken gates of brass and cut through walls of iron. Psalm 107:1-16 New Life Version's paraphrase (English Standard Version link)

There's an incident in the New Testament where Jesus healed ten lepers. But we read that only one of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, 'Praise God!' He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, and thanked Him for what He had done. And he was a Samaritan! Jesus said: “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” (Luke 17:15-17)

Verses 1-3 remind us how appropriate and right it is for those who experience God's mercies to remember to thank Him, and to tell others of the good things He has done. Some say this Psalm was written to recall how God rescued Israel from the dark days of exile, but it sets out four scenarios which can easily apply to situations where His mercy and help would be desperately needed. We look at two today. How is God's goodness described in vs 9?

We don't know the details of who the folk in vs 4-7 were, but we can understand the plight they were in. Homeless, helpless and facing death, they cried out to the Lord - and He took them out of their suffering. How well that describes what God has done over the ages for so many people. Jesus said: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)  If anyone reads this post and, like the people in that desert wasteland, feels their soul weak within them, I urge you to call upon Christ in your distress. He is the only one who can fill the thirsty and hungry soul with good things. If you are one who has already experienced such mercy, remember to thank him often and to let others know how good God is, and that His loving kindness is forever.

How is God's goodness described in vs 16?

He is a God who is able to break the gates and walls of the strongest dungeon we may ever be in! In verses 13-15 it says He 'broke the chains' of people who were in bondage because of their own rebelliousness and rejection of God's word! How true this is of so many lives. A preacher of old once said: “We don't just break God's laws – we break ourselves upon them.” Gates of bronze and walls of iron can well describe people who are trapped in addictions to alcohol, gambling, drugs, porn and promiscuity. But it's just as true of anyone who has stubbornly chosen their own way to do things and rejected God's wisdom.

The amazing good news is that God was willing to hear their cry for help. He saved them out of suffering, brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke the chains that bound them. God is not only merciful – He is mighty. Having forgiven our sins – He is also able to break the hold that strong sins had over us. He is so worthy of our heartfelt thanks and praise.