Psalms 107 – Lift Up Your Eyes!

No Matter the Source of Trouble, Cry Out to the Lord for Deliverance – Psalms 107

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
Psalms 107:13 NKJV

When I read Psalms 107 every month, I often write these 4 verses. Each pertains to a different group of people.

⁶Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses.
¹³Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
¹⁹Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
²⁸Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
Psalms 107:6, 13, 19, 28 NKJV

No-Fault Deliverance

These two groups of people were in trouble through no fault of their own. They cried out to the Lord and He delivered them.

⁴They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;
They found no city to dwell in.
⁵Hungry and thirsty,
Their soul fainted in them.
⁶Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses.

²³Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters,
²⁴They see the works of the Lord,
And His wonders in the deep.
²⁵For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
²⁶They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the depths;
Their soul melts because of trouble.
²⁷They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits’ end.
²⁸Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
Psalm 107:4-6, 23-28 NKJV

Fault Deliverance

These two groups of people are in trouble of their own making, yet they cry out to the Lord and He delivers them! (I take great comfort in this part of Psalms 107. Many of my troubles have been my own fault. 😊)

¹⁰Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons—
¹¹Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And despised the counsel of the Most High,
¹²Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;
They fell down, and there was none to help.
¹³Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
¹⁴He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their chains in pieces.
¹⁵Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
¹⁶For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in two.

¹⁷Fools, because of their transgression,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
¹⁸Their soul abhorred all manner of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
¹⁹Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
²⁰He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.
²¹Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
²²Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And declare His works with rejoicing.
Psalm 107:10-22 NKJV

Therefore, whether your trouble is just “life happening” or is a result of reaping what you have sown, cry out to the Lord and expect His deliverance!

Jesus is coming very soon. Be ready!

⁴But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. ⁵You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. ⁶Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
1 Thessalonians 5:4-6 NKJV

³²“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! ³⁴Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. ³⁵Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”
Matthew 24:32-35 NKJV

³⁴“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. ³⁵For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Luke 21:34-36 NKJV

Has the rapture happened?
   You can still be saved and go to heaven!
---
Are you following God's plan for your life?    
   You should.
     Your plan is not going to work. 
     It is a really, really bad plan. 
     Please come to Jesus to escape your plan! 

Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Jesus is coming.
   Are you ready to meet Him?
   Give your life to Jesus Christ.
   Time is running out.

Psalms 107 – Cry Out to the Lord in Trouble

I have the blessing of reading Psalms 107 every month. I often write some of the verses out of order to make a point to myself: Call out to the Lord in trouble, and He delivers!

¹⁴He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their chains in pieces.
¹⁶For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in two.
²⁰He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.
Psalms 107:6, 13, 19, 28, 14, 16, 20 NKJV

In Psalms 107, sometimes the trouble is just circumstances beyond our control. God will deliver us from these kinds of troubles when we cry out to Him. But sometimes the trouble is our own fault and thankfully, God will also deliver us from these kinds of troubles when we cry out to Him.

¹⁰Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons—
¹¹Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And despised the counsel of the Most High,

¹⁷Fools, because of their transgression,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
¹⁸Their soul abhorred all manner of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
Psalms 107:10-11, 17-18 NKJV

So no matter the source of trouble, cry out to the Lord and He will deliver!

Dear Father in heaven,
I thank You that whether my trouble is caused by circumstances beyond my control, or is caused by my own sin, I can cry out to You, and You promise to deliver me.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I am very blessed by reading Psalms every month. 🙂

Jesus is coming very soon. Be ready!

Has the rapture happened?
   You can still be saved and go to heaven!
---
Are you following God's plan for your life?    
   You should.
     Your plan is not going to work. 
     It is a really, really bad plan. 
     Please come to Jesus to escape your plan! 

Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Jesus is coming.
   Are you ready to meet Him?
   Give your life to Jesus Christ.
   Time is running out.

Overcoming Bad Habits – Psalms 107

We can’t do anything apart from Jesus, not even cleaning ourselves up.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5 NKJV

¹There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

¹³For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Romans 8:1, 13-14 NKJV

Psalms 107 has great promises of God’s deliverance from things we cannot fix ourselves.

⁶Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses.

⁹For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

¹³Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
¹⁴He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their chains in pieces.

¹⁶For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in two.

¹⁹Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
²⁰He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.

²⁸Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
Psalms 107:6, 9, 13-14, 16, 19-20, 28 NKJV

All glory to God!

²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, ²⁶that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
Ephesians 5:25-27 NKJV

Jesus is coming soon. Be ready!

Has the rapture happened?
   You can still be saved and go to heaven!
---
Are you following God's plan for your life?    
   You should.
     Your plan is not going to work. 
     It is a really, really bad plan. 
     Please come to Jesus to escape your plan! 

Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Jesus is coming.
   Are you ready to meet Him?
   Give your life to Jesus Christ.
   Time is running out.

Psalms 107 – Praying for Backsliders

Reading Psalms 107 last night I felt prompted to sloooooow doooooown on one part of the Psalm. So as is my habit, I wrote the Scripture. This is how I know I’m paying attention to every word.

As I was writing, (that is an important point,) it was progressively revealed to me how the Scripture applies to some backslidden people about whom I am very concerned and for whom I am diligently praying. Here is the full text.

¹⁰Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons,
¹¹Because they rebelled against the words of Ěl,
And despised the counsel of the Most High.
¹²And He humbled their heart by toil;
They stumbled, and there was no one to help.
¹³And they cried out to יהוה in their distress,
And He saved them out of their troubles.
¹⁴He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And He broke their chains in pieces.
¹⁵Let them give thanks to יהוה for His loving-commitment,
And His wonders to the children of men!
¹⁶For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And He cut the bars of iron in two.
Tehillim (Psalms) 107:10-16 TS2009

Verses 10 – 11

¹⁰Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons,
¹¹Because they rebelled against the words of Ěl,
And despised the counsel of the Most High.

These backslidden people are in serious trouble. They are in darkness so they don’t see what is making them stumble. The shadow of death is real, for if they die in their current state I believe they will not enter heaven. They are in self-inflicted affliction, and their irons make it unlikely they can ever free themselves. They are in this state because they rebelled against the Word, and rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft. They have contemptuously cast the Word behind them, and despising the Most High’s counsel is a horrible long-term strategy:

^{24 “}Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
²⁵Because you disdained all my counsel,
And would have none of my rebuke,
²⁶I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your terror comes,
²⁷When your terror comes like a storm,
And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.

²⁸“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
²⁹Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord,
³⁰They would have none of my counsel
And despised my every rebuke.
³¹Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way,
And be filled to the full with their own fancies.
³²For the turning away of the simple will slay them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them;
³³But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,
And will be secure, without fear of evil.”
Proverbs 1:24-33 NKJV

Verse 12

¹²And He humbled their heart by toil;
They stumbled, and there was no one to help.

But The Almighty is working on their hearts and their circumstances. He is doing what no man can do.

Verse 13a

¹³And they cried out to יהוה in their distress,

Oh, Father! May the lost and backslidden come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil! May they choose Your gift of eternal life! May they seek You while You can be found, and call upon You while you are near! Let them repent and You will abundantly pardon! Grant repentance and give mercy to the lost and backslidden, Father!

Verses 13-16

¹³And they cried out to יהוה in their distress,
And He saved them out of their troubles.
¹⁴He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And He broke their chains in pieces.
¹⁵Let them give thanks to יהוה for His loving-commitment,
And His wonders to the children of men!
¹⁶For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And He cut the bars of iron in two.

יהוה does for them what they cannot do for themselves. The Father and the Son are one, so whoever the Son sets free is free indeed!

Verse 15

¹⁵Let them give thanks to יהוה for His loving-commitment,
And His wonders to the children of men!

Their part, and our part, is to rejoice and be thankful! After all, once upon a time not so long ago people prayed for me and God delivered me!

Testimony

Since I received this understanding last night, my prayers for the lost and backslidden seem to have more power and expectation. May your prayers for your lost ones also increase in confidence and assurance!

Has the rapture happened?
   You can still be saved and go to heaven!
---
Are you following God's plan for your life?    
   You should.
     Your plan is not going to work. 
     It is a really, really bad plan. 
     Please come to Jesus to escape your plan! 

Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Jesus is coming.
   Are you ready to meet Him?
   Give your life to Jesus Christ.
   Time is running out.

Psalm 107 – Deliverance

Reading Psalm 107 a couple days ago, it stuck me stronger than ever before how much it is God Himself who delivers us, who cleans us up. These are the links to Psalm 107: Bible, BibleHub, and BibleGateway.

This is the keystone verse, it seems to me now. 🙂 Next time I study this chapter some other verse may stand out. Notice deliverance is from the Lord!

²⁰He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.

These verses are very similar. I suggest you read them in their context, to see all the kinds of trouble from which He saves us.

⁶Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.

¹³Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.

¹⁹Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.

²⁸Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.

The lesson is obvious. Whatever mess you have made in your life, cry out to the Lord in your trouble and expect His deliverance!

Here are some of the things the Lord does for us.

⁶ … he delivered them from their distress.
⁷He led them by a straight way
till they reached a city to dwell in.

⁹For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

¹³… he delivered them from their distress.
¹⁴He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and burst their bonds apart.

¹⁶For he shatters the doors of bronze
and cuts in two the bars of iron.

¹⁹… he delivered them from their distress.

20 He sent out his word and healed them,

    and delivered them from their destruction.

28 … he delivered them from their distress.

29 He made the storm be still,

    and the waves of the sea were hushed.
33 He turns rivers into a desert,

    springs of water into thirsty ground,
³⁴a fruitful land into a salty waste,
    because of the evil of its inhabitants.
³⁵He turns a desert into pools of water,
    a parched land into springs of water.
³⁶And there he lets the hungry dwell,
    and they establish a city to live in;
³⁷they sow fields and plant vineyards
    and get a fruitful yield.
³⁸By his blessing they multiply greatly,
    and he does not let their livestock diminish.

³⁹When they are diminished and brought low
    through oppression, evil, and sorrow,
⁴⁰he pours contempt on princes
    and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
⁴¹but he raises up the needy out of affliction
    and makes their families like flocks.

Look to The Word for deliverance!

²⁰He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.

Are you following God's plan for your life? 
   You should.
      Your plan sucks.
      It really, really sucks.
      Suckage Maximus.

Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Jesus is coming.
   Are you ready to meet Him?
   Give your life to Jesus Christ.
   Time is running out.