How often do we give thanks to God? Let’s begin in Psalm 107.
From what adversary has He ultimately redeemed us, an act returning a lost inheritance, such as Boaz did for Ruth through marriage?
Give thanks to Yahweh [the Lord], for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever. Let the redeemed by Yahweh say so, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the adversary, and gathered out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. (Ps 107:1-3 WEB)
Are we wandering in a spiritual desert wasteland looking for a home?
Some of the redeemed had wandered into the desert, into the wasteland. They couldn’t find their way to a city or town. They were hungry and thirsty; their lives were slipping away. So they cried out to the Lord in their distress, and God delivered them from their desperate circumstances. God led them straight to human habitation. Let them thank the Lord for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all people, because God satisfied the one who was parched with thirst, and he filled up the hungry with good things! (Ps 107:4-9 CEB)
Do we suffer in this world because of our own past sins? Can God rescue us?
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. You were in serious trouble, but you prayed to the Lord, and he rescued you. He brought you out of the deepest darkness and broke your chains. (Ps 107:10-14 CEV)
Do we thank the Lord for setting us free from the bondage to sin?
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron. (Ps 107:15-16 ESV)
Do our own sins cause much of our suffering? Who alone can rescue us?
Fools suffered affliction because of their rebellious ways and their sins. They loathed all food and came near the gates of death. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved them from their distress. He sent His word and healed them; He rescued them from the Pit. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His faithful love and His wonderful works for all humanity. Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and announce His works with shouts of joy. (Ps 107:17-22 HCSB)
Do those who go to sea witness the great power of God in the oceans and realize that prayer to God is their only resource?
Those who go down to the sea in ships, who work in the great waters, witnessed the works of the Lord—his awesome deeds in the ocean’s depth. He spoke and stirred up a windstorm that made its waves surge. The people ascended skyward and descended to the depths, their courage melting away in their peril. They reeled and staggered like a drunkard, as all their wisdom became useless. Yet when they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, the Lord brought them out of their distress. He calmed the storm and its waves quieted down. So they rejoiced that the waves became quiet, and he led them to their desired haven. (Ps 107:23-30 ISV)
How soon does it take us to praise the Lord, exalting Him over everything else?
Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders. (Ps 107:31-32 KJV)
Who turns deserts, which were once a curse for sin, into fruitful land, a blessing?
He makes rivers into a wilderness And springs of water into a thirsty ground; A fruitful land into a salt waste, Because of the evil of those who inhabited it. He makes a wilderness into a pool of water And a dry land into springs of water; And there He causes the hungry to inhabit, So that they may establish an inhabited city, And sow fields and plant vineyards, And produce a fruitful harvest. Also He blesses them and they multiply greatly, And He does not let their cattle decrease. (Ps 107:33-38 LSB)
When God’s people are oppressed, does He have plans to rescue the poor from the contemptuous and greedy?
When they become few and lowly Because of oppression, misery, and sorrow, He pours contempt upon noblemen And makes them wander in a pathless wasteland. But He sets the needy securely on high, away from affliction, And makes his families like a flock. The upright see it and are glad; But all injustice shuts its mouth. Who is wise? He is to pay attention to these things, And consider the mercy of the Lord. (Ps 107:39-43 NASB)
How can we be saved from the troubles of this world for all eternity?
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Rom 10:9-10 NIV)
How often do we give thanks to God? You decide!
