From Charmie Curry
For me, God’s Word always comes alive to me through song. As I read Psalm 107, I couldn’t help but hum this proclamation in an Israel and New Breed song: “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!”
I know I am redeemed - not because of my own nature but, by God’s - and this is beautifully confirmed throughout the Psalm. Thus the Psalmist’s response seems equally fitting: Give thanks to God for He is good. Give thanks to God by recalling His steadfast love. Give thanks, for He is a redeemer. We are redeemed by God because of who He is, not because of what we do. And we know from the Psalm that what we do can get quite messy. We can get lostin the desert (verses 4-9); become prisoners (verses 10-16); tossed in storm at sea (verse 23-32). But in each of these trying circumstances, we are faced with a God who meets His people, with his redeeming and steadfast love, and timely rescue. He is the God who “made the storm to be still, and hushed the waves.” He is the God who “turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water. And for God’s goodness in the face of man’s folly, we must give Him praise, and continually give thanksgiving for His redeeming nature.
I can see the parallels in the second reading in Deuteronomy, where Moses makes it plain for the Israelites. He tells them that the commandment is not too hard to attain. Obedience and blessing OR disobedience and consequences. They can love the Lord, walk in His ways, and obey his commandments. Or, they can turn to idols in disobedience and face death. What is perhaps more profound in connecting with the Psalm is that God’s character is unchanged regardless of the choices of His people. He remains a God who is unfailing in His love for a sinful people. He is a mighty God. A wonder-working, storm-settling, powerful God. He is the God who has redeemed me, and for that I shall say, I am redeemed. Let, us, His redeemed say so!
I am a wife, and an elementary educator. I live in Roslindale with my husband, Gordon.