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At Sandals Church, our vision is to be real with ourselves, God and others. This channel features sermons and teaching from Pastor Matt Brown and other members of the Sandals Church preaching team. You can find sermon notes, videos and more content at http://sandalschurch.com/watch
As we continue praying the Psalms, we come now to Psalm one zero seven. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, and his faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out. What a reminder for us.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Has God redeemed you today? Then say something about it. Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies for he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south. Verse four, some wandered in the wilderness. They were lost and homeless, hungry and thirsty.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:They nearly died. Lord help, they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. Down in verse 10, some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery. They rebelled against the words of God, scorning the counsel of the most high.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:That is why he broke them with hard labor. Lord help, they cried, and he saved them from their distress. He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom. He snapped their chains off and, they praised the Lord for his great love, for the wonderful things he had done, for He broke down their prison gates, He cut apart their bars of iron. Verse 17, some were fools, they rebelled and suffered for their sins, they couldn't stand the thought of food and they were knocking on death's door.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Lord help, they cried in their trouble and He saved them from their distress. He sent out his word, healed them, snatching them from the door of death. Let them praise the Lord for his great love. Down at verse 23, someone off to sea in ships, plying the trade routes of the world. They too observed the Lord's power in action, his impressive works on the deepest seas.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:He spoke and the winds rose, stirring up their waves. Their ships were tossed to the heavens, plunged again to the depths. The sailors cringed in horror. They reeled and staggered like drunkards. Lord help, they cried, and he saved them from their distress.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:He calmed the storm, but to a whisper and stilled the waves. What a blessing was that stillness as he brought them safely into harbor. Verse 33, the Lord can change rivers into deserts, spring waters into dry thirsty lands. He can turn the fruitful land into salty wastelands, but he also turns deserts into pools of water, the dry land into springs of water. He brings the hungry to settle there and to build their cities.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Down in verse 39, when they decrease in number and become impoverished, this is speaking about people, Through oppression, trouble, and sorrow, the Lord's the Lord pours contempt on their princes, causes them to wander in trackless wastelands, but he rescues the poor from trouble. The godly will see these things and be glad while the wicked are struck silent. Here's the key verse in this entire Psalm, verse 43. Those who are wise will take all this to heart. They will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:By way of reflection, Psalm one zero seven is a call to worship, to to recite the phrase we see all throughout the book of Psalm, which is to give thanks because God is good and his love endures forever. The Psalmist then creatively describes various people who, cry out for help. You you you saw that repeated phrase, Lord help. And it says that some were wandering. In other words, some were out were without a home.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:They were homeless. God saved them. Others were told that they sat in darkness. They were in prison for their sin. God rescued them.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Some were foolish. God even rescues those who are fools. People who are without a home. People who make bad decisions. Those who are just straight idiots like many of us.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Right? God rescues them. Verse 23, he said, some went off onto ships. In other words, they gave themselves to their careers and their exploration. He says, regardless of where people find themselves, they cry for help and God lovingly save them.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:That is a great reminder for us today. Wherever you might find yourself, whether you feel like you're wandering, whether you feel like you're a bit imprisoned, whether you feel like you're just wrapped up in your career and all that you have to do, wherever you find yourself, regardless of the trouble you find yourself in, cry to God for help today as the Psalm teaches us to do and he will bring us out. And then we're given this very great instruction down in verse 43, those who are wise will take all this to heart. In other words, the wise person today, if you want to be wise today, if you want to learn to pray through how you're feeling, if you want to learn to encounter God throughout your day, then become a wise person by reflecting on the faithful love of God. Consider the times that you have today where you can maybe protect a moment to just meditate on all the ways that God loves you.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Specifically the ways that His love has been demonstrated through saving you in bad situations. That my friend will lead you to a place of wisdom. Jesus, we hear you now inviting us to reflect on our own lives and to consider how we found ourselves in a desperate situation and we said, Lord help. And not deserving of your grace, not deserving of your mercy, you came to us anyway and you answered our cry. And so we pray now that today would be a day marked by wisdom, not because we're smart people, but we're wise because we reflected on your love.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:May this be done in Jesus name. Amen.