Psalm 107 - The Contemplative Bible Meditation Series
Psalm 107 is a hymn of gratitude and renewal. It is a song for the weary soul, a map for the heart that has been lost and longs to be found. Its refrain, "Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness," pulses like a heartbeat through the verses, reminding us that God's mercy endures beyond our understanding. In its lines, we hear the stories of wanderers, prisoners, the sick, and sailors on the storm-tossed sea—each finding peace, each encountering the living God. This meditation will walk gently through each movement of the Psalm, pausing to reflect, heal, and be renewed.
Transcript
Psalm 107 is a hymn of gratitude and renewal.
It is a song for the weary soul,
A map for the heart that has been lost and longs to be found.
Its refrain,
O that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
Pulses like a heartbeat through the verses,
Reminding us that God's mercy endures beyond our understanding.
In its lines,
We hear the stories of wanderers,
Prisoners,
The sick and sailors on the storm-tossed sea,
Each finding peace,
Each encountering the living God.
This meditation will walk gently through each movement of the psalm,
Pausing to deflect,
Heal and be renewed.
Let your breath slow,
Let your heart soften.
Let us begin.
Psalm 107 O give thanks to the Lord for He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
And gathered out of the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.
They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way.
They found no city to dwell in.
Hungry and thirsty,
Their soul fainted in them.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses.
And He led them forth by the right way,
That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.
O that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men.
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in afflictions and irons,
Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And despised the counsel of the Most High.
Therefore He brought down their heart with labor.
They fell down,
And there was none to help.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their chains in pieces.
O that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men.
For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in two.
Fools,
Because of their transgression,
And because of their iniquities,
Were afflicted.
Their soul abhorred all manner of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.
O that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men.
Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And declare His works with rejoicing.
Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters,
They see the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep.
For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the depths,
Their soul melts because of trouble.
They kneel to and fro,
And stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits' end.
Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
He calms the storm so that its waves are still.
Then they are glad because they are quiet,
So He guides them to their desired haven.
O that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men.
Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people,
And praise Him in the company of the elders.
He turns rivers into a wilderness,
And the water springs into dry ground,
A fruitful land into barrenness for the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
He turns a wilderness into pools of water,
And dry lands into water springs.
There He makes the hungry dwell,
That they may establish a city for the dwelling place,
And sow fields and plant vineyards,
That they may yield a fruitful harvest.
He also blesses them,
And they multiply greatly,
And He does not let their cattle decrease.
When they are diminished and brought low,
Through oppression,
Affliction,
And sorrow,
He pours contempt on princes,
And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way.
Yet He sets the poor on high,
Far from affliction,
And makes their families like a flock.
The righteous see it and rejoice,
And all iniquity stops its mouth.
Whoever is wise will observe these things,
And they will understand the loving kindness of the Lord.
O give thanks to the Lord,
For He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
And gathered out of the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.
These verses,
They open with a call to gratitude.
Gratitude rewires our brains.
Gratitude rewires our brains towards positivity.
But here,
It also anchors us spiritually.
We are reminded that gratitude is not just a practice.
It is a way of returning to the source of our being.
The redeemed are not only those saved in grand gestures,
But anyone,
Anyone who has been called out of inner darkness.
Pause and remember a time when something inside you was rescued,
Even quietly.
Give thanks.
They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way.
They found no city to dwell in.
Hungry and thirsty,
Their soul fainted in them.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses.
And He led them forth by the right way,
That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.
Oh,
That men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men.
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
The wilderness.
It's not just a place.
The wilderness is a condition of being.
We all know the feeling of being lost,
Disoriented,
Purposeless and craving direction.
But God meets us in this lostness.
This passage reassures us that longing itself is sacred.
Hunger and thirst of the soul are honored and met.
When we ask for guidance,
We are not weak.
We are wise.
Reflect on your own wilderness.
Where are you now?
Trust that your cry is heard.
Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons,
Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And despised the counsel of the Most High.
Therefore He brought down their heart with labor.
They fell down,
And there was none to help.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their chains in pieces.
Oh,
That men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men.
For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in two.
These verses,
They touch on shame,
Rebellion,
And imprisonment.
Whether our chains are emotional,
Relational,
Or born out of our own choices,
The truth is that we all know what it means to be bound.
The spiritual truth here is profound.
Even when we have turned away,
Divine mercy waits for our return.
The descent into the shadow is not the end.
It can be a sacred descent that prepares us for liberation.
Let go of shame.
It is the bars we no longer need to grip.
Verses 17-22 Fools,
Because of their transgression and because of their iniquities,
Were afflicted.
Their soul abhorred all manner of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions,
O that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men.
Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And declare His works with rejoicing.
Here we find those who are sick,
Not just in body,
But in spirit.
The word that heals can be a scripture,
It can be a kind phrase,
It can be a whisper of grace.
Healing often begins with the smallest shift in perception.
Spiritually it is the opening of the heart to light.
What words have healed you?
What words can you now speak to heal another?
Verses 23-32 Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters,
They see the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep.
For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the depths,
Their soul melts because of trouble.
They reel to and fro,
And stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits' end.
Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
He calms the storm so that its waves are still.
Then they are glad because they are quiet,
So He guides them to their desired haven.
O that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men.
Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people,
And praise Him in the company of the elders.
This is the stormy sea of our psyche.
The realm of emotion and unpredictability.
Life can throw us into turbulent waters.
Yet,
Even here,
God is present.
The calming of the storm,
It symbolizes inner peace.
It does not mean the absence of challenge,
But the anchoring presence that steadies us.
Breathe in calm.
Breathe out fear.
Know that you are being guided toward a safe haven.
Verses 33-38 He turns rivers into a wilderness,
And the water springs into dry ground.
A fruitful land into barrenness for the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
He turns a wilderness into pools of water,
And dry lands into water springs.
There He makes the hungry dwell,
That they may establish a city for a dwelling place,
And sow fields and plant vineyards that they may yield a fruitful harvest.
He also blesses them,
And they multiply greatly,
And He does not let their cattle decrease.
God is not static.
God transforms.
Seasons change,
And so do our lives.
Times of barrenness may become fertile again,
And vice versa.
This passage invites us into spiritual humility and hope.
If you are in a time of drought,
Trust that water will come.
If you are in abundance,
Nurture gratitude,
And be a river for others.
Verses 39-42 When they are diminished and brought low through oppression,
Affliction,
And sorrow,
He pours contempt on princes and causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way.
Yet,
He sets the poor on high,
Far from affliction,
And makes His families like a flock.
The righteous see it and rejoice,
And all iniquity stops its mouth.
The Iniquities of Life Life's iniquities can seem harsh,
But the psalmist reminds us that elevation and justice,
They come in their time.
This is a call to resilience,
A knowing that suffering is not the whole story.
It is also a call to empathy.
Rejoice when others are lifted.
Trust that your lifting is near.
Verse 43 Whoever is wise will observe these things,
And they will understand the loving kindness of the Lord.
Wisdom is not about knowing all the answers,
But seeing the thread of grace woven through all things.
Observe,
Listen,
Receive.
This final verse is not a conclusion.
It is an invitation to deeper seeing.
A Prayer Beloved One,
In my wilderness,
Be my compass.
In my storm,
Be my calm.
In my prison,
Be my freedom.
In my sickness,
Be my word of healing.
In all things,
Be my home.
Let me give thanks not only when I am full,
But also when I am longing.
Let me see the goodness that surrounds me and the mercy that holds me.
Let me trust in the loving kindness that never ends.
Amen.
