Monday's Message: Wanderer

Psa 107:1  O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 107:2  Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
Psa 107:3  And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.
Psa 107:4  They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.
Psa 107:5  Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
Psa 107:6  Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:7  And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
Psa 107:8  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Psa 107:9  For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
 

God is AWESOME!  God is POWERFUL!  He is masterfully directing and orchestrating our lives to bring us into a place of blessing and joy. I don’t believe in good events or bad event; I believe in good results or bad results derived from difficult or pleasant circumstances.

Isaiah 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

We are not able to comprehend all the ways or events God deems necessary to bring about good in our lives! That is where faith proves itself absolutely vital!  We must believe, know, and proclaim: GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

David, a 2-year old with leukemia, was taken by his mother, Deborah, to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, to see Dr. John Truman who specialized in treating children with cancer and various blood diseases. Dr. Truman's prognosis was devastating: "He has a 50-50 chance." The countless clinic visits, the blood tests, the intravenous drugs, the fear and pain--the parent’s ordeal can be almost as bad as the child's because they must stand by, unable to bear the pain for him. David never cried in the waiting room, and although his friends in the clinic had to hurt him and stick needles in him, he hustled in ahead of his mother with a smile, sure of the welcome he always got. When he was three, David had to have a spinal tap--a painful procedure at any age. It was explained to him that, because he was sick, Dr. Truman had to do something to make him better. "If it hurts, remember it's because he loves you," Deborah said. The procedure was horrendous. It took three nurses to hold David still, while he yelled and sobbed and struggled. When it was almost over, the tiny boy, soaked in sweat and tears, looked up at the doctor and gasped, "Thank you, Dr. Tooman, for my hurting." – We don’t trust God that much!

We have the misconception that “We are good, and God is like us at times”

One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, "Jump! I'll catch you." He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: "Jump! I will catch you." But the boy protested, "Daddy, I can't see you." The father replied, "But I can see you and that's all that matters."

We must TRUST the God in whom our salvation is secure with this life also.

-          It was NOT God’s first choice to use hardship in our lives!

-          Tragedy, Trials, Pain, Horrible Violence: these are all the consequences of sin!

-          The drastic measures that God will at times find necessary should not drive us from Him, but rather highlight the extreme devastation of eternal hell’s torment.

In Psalm 107:1-9 we find the first of several types of people we will discuss.  I use the word type, but that does not mean that any of us will be all of any one type. In fact, the majority of us will probably recognize ourselves repeatedly as we study these passages over the next few weeks.

107:1 Command: “O give thanks unto the Lord”

Why? “He is Good” = because of the outcome not the pain!

& “His mercy endureth forever” (makes redemption possible)

[Good]: Having moral qualities which God's law requires; virtue; religious; applied to persons, and opposed to bad, vicious, wicked, and evil. 2. Valid; sound; not weak, not false

[Mercy]: Pity; compassion manifested towards a person in distress

107:2-3. “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so” = Claim Him = He claimed you

Who are the “redeemed”?

-          Those who have been “redeemed from the hand of the enemy”

-          & “gathered out of the lands”

·         They have come from all different cultures, religions, and experiences – as well as financial statuses.

107:4-7. “They wandered in the wilderness” = the commonality of us all!

“Solitary way” – a life without Christ is very lonely!

[Distresses]: Extreme pain; anguish of body or mind; Suffering; Affliction; calamity; misery

“Wanderer”  Hungry, thirsty, and fainting

Just as you might expect to find a person who has set out on a journey through the Arab desert without a map or proper guidance and insufficient supplies, they were starving, thirsty, and ready to give up the search…

[Delivered]: Freed; released; transferred or transmitted; passed from one to another; committed; yielded; surrendered; rescued; uttered; pronounced

-          “Led by the right way” He saved their souls

·         Choose Christ!

§  Just as a man stops searching for Mrs. Right after he is married

§  Accept that God is GOOD and stop WANDERING

It will never get better than God = trust HIM!

·         Follow His leadership

§  Bible [study & preaching]

§  Holy Spirit’s guidance

-         The church is a “City of habitation”

·         Cities have structure, leadership, citizens, and laws

·         He leads wanderers through our doors for us to share with them the love of Christ and clearly preach the Gospel of Christ

·          WE HAVE THE ANSWERS THEY HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR!!!

107:8-9. Recognize that any event or act of God that brings a person to Him and ultimately to salvation is the GOODness of God! “He satisfieth the longing soul” & “filleth the hungry soul with goodness” He is the answer you are searching for!!

-         There is a perpetual provision in the destination the right way revealed to us!