“Remembering from whence you came”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Friday, October 6, 2023

Psalm 107:1-32 (Forward, p. 69) CEV p. 622

Today’s psalm is quite remarkable for a ‘refrain’ that just happens to be repeated four times during these first 32 verses. It is the refrain, ‘some of you’, and is used by the psalmist to preface four rather trying situations in which people found themselves:

a) ‘Some of you were lost in the scorching desert, far from a town. You were hungry and thirsty and about to give up” (verses 4-5);

b) “Some of you were prisoners suffering in deepest darkness and bound by chains, because you had rebelled against God Most High and refused his advice. You were worn out from working like slaves, and no one came to help” (verses 10-12);

c) “Some of you had foolishly committed a lot of sins and were in terrible pain. The very thought of food was disgusting to you, and you were almost dead” (verses 17-18);

d) “Some of you made a living by sailing the mighty sea, and you saw the miracles the Lord performed there. At his command a storm arose, and waves covered the sea. You were tossed to the sky and to the ocean depths, and things looked so bad that you lost your courage. You staggered like drunkards and gave up all hope” (verses 23-27).

But describing each of these calamitous situations, our psalmist ends with yet another, constant refrain:

“You were in serious trouble, but you prayed to the Lord, and he rescued you” (verses 6, 13, 19, 28).

The specifics of just what the Lord did in each case are quite revealing:

a) “Right away he brought you to a town” (verse 7);

b) “He brought you out of the deepest darkness and broke your chains” (verse 14);

c) “By the power of his own word, he healed you and saved you from destruction” (verse 20);

d) “He made the storm stop and the sea be quiet. You were happy because of this, and he brought you to the ports where you wanted to go” (verses 29-30).

An interesting thing about all this—to me, at least, is that these four situations are rather generic. (At the onset, I tried to think of specific situations in the Bible that our psalmist might be referencing or referring to, but I came up blank. I then realized that perhaps he was couching them in more general terms, simply to have them apply to a whole range of people and situations). Applying this idea, then, I thought of who this might apply to:

a) What about the myriads of people who feel themselves to be alone and deserted and without human help?

b) What about all those who feel themselves in darkness and in chains

To some habit or addiction or experience?

c) What about all those in the throes of serious illness and pain, where there seems to be no relief or resolution?

d) And what about those beset by storms and natural calamities of various sorts?

In each case, the psalmist says that God heard their fervent cries and prayers and came to their rescue. So, what should our response be to all this? Once again, there is a ‘refrain’, one that is again repeated four times:

“You should praise the Lord for his love and for the wonderful things he does for all of us” (verses 8, 15, 21, 31).

That means, of course, that we should constantly keep these things in mind, constantly remembering God’s great and abundant goodness. We should constantly remember ‘from whence we came’. That is why a gratitude or thanksgiving journal, where we record what God has graciously done for us, can be so very helpful.

Forward notes: “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his mercy and the wonders he does for his children” (verses 8, 15, 21, 31).

“I find when a phrase is repeated, like in today’s psalm, it is a signal for me to pay attention. I figure that it must contain an important message that

God is trying to convey to us in this moment. Maybe it is the equivalent of a child calling your name—over and over—to get your attention.

“In today’s psalm, God uses repetition to call us to gratitude. Many of us express gratitude when given a gift or when a situation we were worried about turns out okay. But perhaps we are not as quick to express gratitude, either to God or to another person, when things are going well or for the mundane things of life, such as ‘thank you, God, for bringing me home safely’ or ‘thank you, God, that I have a job I love.’ We often encourage children to say ‘thank you,’ but it seems harder to do as adults. We must remember to thank God continually, for God is everywhere and in everything.”

Moving Forward: “Who or what needs your thanks today? Express your appreciation to God and to oth