Continuing on with the idea of God as our common Father:
So what else do we see in this psalm that is relevant for us?
1) First the psalmist tells about state of being. What is state of being? It is where you are right now. In the psalm some wandered, some sat, some became fools and some, in the turmoil of their daily lives, became overwhelmed by the demands of their profession. Where are we right now? Where were we last year? Where do we want to be tomorrow?
2) The next thing the psalmist makes us aware of is state of soul. It is the state of your spiritual health. In the psalm some were hungry and thirsty, some were suffering in iron chains, some were tossed and turned by the waves that surrounded their boat, the vehicle of their profession. What is the state of your soul? Your spiritual health?
3) The third thing we’re made aware of is the consequence of need. In the psalm, some of their lives just ebbed away, some stumbled alone and endured a bitter labor brought on by their sin, some were unable to eat, some were at their wit’s end emotionally. Consider what is the consequence of your need? Are you feeling the weight that is a direct result of a distance from God? What consequence do we see played out daily in our lives?
4) The next aspect common to human nature is that whenever we experience a consequence that is unpleasant we will cry out to God. In this psalm, we see that they all cried out to God in their trouble.
It is a beginning. There can be no saving without a cry to be saved.
1) First the psalmist tells about state of being. What is state of being? It is where you are right now. In the psalm some wandered, some sat, some became fools and some, in the turmoil of their daily lives, became overwhelmed by the demands of their profession. Where are we right now? Where were we last year? Where do we want to be tomorrow?
2) The next thing the psalmist makes us aware of is state of soul. It is the state of your spiritual health. In the psalm some were hungry and thirsty, some were suffering in iron chains, some were tossed and turned by the waves that surrounded their boat, the vehicle of their profession. What is the state of your soul? Your spiritual health?
3) The third thing we’re made aware of is the consequence of need. In the psalm, some of their lives just ebbed away, some stumbled alone and endured a bitter labor brought on by their sin, some were unable to eat, some were at their wit’s end emotionally. Consider what is the consequence of your need? Are you feeling the weight that is a direct result of a distance from God? What consequence do we see played out daily in our lives?
4) The next aspect common to human nature is that whenever we experience a consequence that is unpleasant we will cry out to God. In this psalm, we see that they all cried out to God in their trouble.
It is a beginning. There can be no saving without a cry to be saved.
5) What happens next? God responds to the cries of His creation. What was God’s response? He brought out of darkness, he broke away chains, he healed, he saved, he stilled the storm, he turned the desert into pools of water, the parched ground into flowing springs - He lifted the needy out of their affliction.
God’s response - the same yesterday, today and always. God never changes.
6) So is that the end of it? God responds? The psalmist continues to instruct us because it appears to be a part of our human nature to cry to God as a reaction to our consequence and then when He responds and rescues us, we either forget His mercy or return to our sin. Why? It is because we have reacted to our consequence, not repented of our sin. So what is the last thing the psalmist explores? The response to God’s response.
7) After God rescues us, an outward action of an inward change must follow - we are told to give thanks, sacrifice, tell of his works with songs of joy, exalt Him in the assembly, and praise Him in the council of the elders. So many times we stop short and don’t allow the magnitude of God’s response to sink in and affect our thinking, our actions, and our habits.
My Rescuer and My Redeemer, I ask that You redeem the state of my very being and the state of my soul. I lay my needs before You and offer You glory and praise.
Check out: Psalm 107
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