God is Good! ~ Bob Caldwell

God is Good! Psalm 107:8 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! Psalm 107:43 Whoever is wise will observe these things, And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD. The reoccurring call to give thanks to God for His goodness is one of the most powerful forces we can use as we live our lives amid the struggles with both a fallen world and our own fallen natures. Often we can be tempted to conclude that there is just too much evil unleashed in the world to ever give thanks for anything. Added to that is our own struggle within ourselves. The new life that is ours in Christ finds itself at war with our old life that was born in sin. With these two forces at war against us, we are tempted to ask how God can be good when there is so much that is bad in our world and still within us. It is at times such as these that we need to do exactly what the psalmist calls us to do. It is in these darkest times and deepest struggles that we join the chorus of all who have gone before us and have proven that "God is good!" Although we face pressure beyond our strength, perplexity beyond our understanding, and find ourselves persecuted and struck down, let us join the men and women of faith throughout the ages who boldly stand against the evil in this world with unflinching confidence that "God is good!" (v. 8). Let us not lose heart. Let God be true and every voice that condemns Him a liar (Rom. 3:4). Let us see God not as the source of evil and bad, but as the source of what is good, of what overcomes evil. Let the evil of this world drive us to God. Let the evil of our old life force us to flee to God for the strength and wisdom to face it. If you do, you will find yourself as one of the most thankful people who have ever lived. You will be thanking Him as you face what is bad, because He is able to turn it for good (Rom. 8:28). You will thank Him for good as you pass through the fiery trial, for it is removing your impurities. Like Joseph declared to his brothers, "You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good" (Gen. 50:20). God is good!
Psalm 107:1-43 Thanksgiving to the LORD for His Great Works of Deliverance 1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, 3 And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south. 4 They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; They found no city to dwell in. 5 Hungry and thirsty, Their soul fainted in them. 6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He delivered them out of their distresses. 7 And He led them forth by the right way, That they might go to a city for a dwelling place. 8 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! 9 For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness. 10 Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Bound in affliction and irons— 11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, And despised the counsel of the Most High, 12 Therefore He brought down their heart with labor; They fell down, and there was none to help. 13 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. 14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces. 15 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! 16 For He has broken the gates of bronze, And cut the bars of iron in two. 17 Fools, because of their transgression, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted. 18 Their soul abhorred all manner of food, And they drew near to the gates of death. 19 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. 20 He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. 21 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! 22 Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with rejoicing. 23 Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters, 24 They see the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep. 25 For He commands and raises the stormy wind, Which lifts up the waves of the sea. 26 They mount up to the heavens, They go down again to the depths; Their soul melts because of trouble. 27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits' end. 28 Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses. 29 He calms the storm, So that its waves are still. 30 Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven. 31 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! 32 Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him in the company of the elders. 33 He turns rivers into a wilderness, And the watersprings into dry ground; 34 A fruitful land into barrenness, For the wickedness of those who dwell in it. 35 He turns a wilderness into pools of water, And dry land into watersprings. 36 There He makes the hungry dwell, That they may establish a city for a dwelling place, 37 And sow fields and plant vineyards, That they may yield a fruitful harvest. 38 He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly; And He does not let their cattle decrease. 39 When they are diminished and brought low Through oppression, affliction, and sorrow, 40 He pours contempt on princes, And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way; 41 Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction, And makes their families like a flock. 42 The righteous see it and rejoice, And all iniquity stops its mouth. 43 Whoever is wise will observe these things, And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.
Psalm 107:1-43 This psalm, which begins the fifth book of the Psalms, is a song of collective thanksgiving. It has no title. v. 1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD – Literally, "Acclaim…". While thanks is definitely in focus, it is not just individual gratefulness that the psalmist has in mind; the entire community of faith is to join together in gratitude. He is good! – The central challenge of Satan is that God's purpose for His creation and humankind is not "good" (see Gen. 3:4-5). The experience of the people of God will, at the end of the ages, refute this accusation at every point. v. 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy – The "redeemed" are those delivered from the power of their enemies, both politically (Israel's deliverance from exile: see v. 3) or spiritually. v. 3 – See Luke 13:29 for Jesus' expansion of this principle to God's deliverance of all nations. v. 4-5 – provide a vivid picture of the refugees scattered to the nations. v. 6 – This verse is a catchphrase that occurs several times in the psalm: v. 13, 19. v. 8 – is a second refrain repeated in the psalm: see v. 15, 21, 31. v. 9 – The testimony of the believer through the ages is that God satisfies our deepest needs and longings. v. 10 – gives a picture of the exiles in a prison of torment and darkness. v. 11-12 – recalls the reason for the judgment of God in sending His people into exile. v. 14 – recounts God's mighty redemption of His people from the darkness and imprisonment described in v. 10. He…broke their chains in pieces – The redeemed of every generation testify that God can break both literal chains and the fetters of habits and addictions. v. 15 – Cf. v. 8. v. 16 – God shatters the prison confining us…either literally or spiritually! v. 17-18 – Like v. 11-12, recalls that the fate of the captives was not God's fault but due to their own foolishness and sin. v. 19 – God acted on behalf of His people. v. 21 – See v. 8. v. 22 the sacrifices of thanksgiving – i.e. a thank offering in the temple. v. 23-30 – make up the famous section about seafarers and the dangers facing them. v. 26 They mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the depths – a very graphic description of a ship caught in a major storm at sea; particularly in an age of small wooden sailing vessels! v. 27 And are at their wits' end – i.e., the sailors have tried everything they can think of and despair of their lives. See the account of Paul's shipwreak in Acts 27:13-44. v. 29 He calms the storm, so that its waves are still. – This passage may have been in the mind of the disciples after Jesus stilled the storm on the Lake of Galilee (see Luke 8:25). v. 31 – The second refrain (see v. 8). v. 32 Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, and praise Him in the company of the elders. – i.e. in the congregation worshipping in the temple. v. 33-34 – God's power gives fertility to the land…or drought. v. 36 – reflects the blessings and curses outlined in Deut. 28. v. 38-39 – Note the contrast between the blessing of the faithful and the judgment upon the unfaithful. v. 43 Whoever is wise will observe…and they will understand… – Shows the close connection of this psalm to the "wisdom tradition" of the book of Proverbs.
"Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!" –Psalm 107:8 "Whoever is wise will observe these things, And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD." –Psalm 107:43 Let our hearts sing these songs of praise and worship to You today, God! Your Word holds so much information about who You are. Give us a thirst to seek You in Your Word and grow us in our knowledge and understanding of You.
Ladies' Quarterly Prayer I love the Ladies Quarterly Prayer. It builds my faith to pray with other women and it brings unity to our church body to have an opportunity to lift up the worldwide church and our fellowship together. Prayer Points that more and more women would be willing to press forward through prayer, believing in the power of prayer.