Psalm 107:1-43
Focus on God's Goodness

Oh, 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.
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.

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.

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.
Oh, 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 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.
Oh, 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 watersprings 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 land into watersprings.
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.

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 lovingkindness of the LORD.

New King James Version

I don't understand how good things happen in some places and bad things happen in others. Something more primal than my conscious intellect yearns for an order to the world so that good people experience good, and bad people experience bad. Experience tells us there is no such order in this world.

This week saw four terrorist bomb blasts in London, with many deaths and injuries to individuals that did not deserve to be the target of terrorists. It emotionally felt like a repeat of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, although my rational self recognized the smaller scale and the reduced damage and loss of life. Why did this happen? Why those people at this time? Why was my city spared?

This week saw the results of the strongest, most severe Atlantic hurricane to develop in June or July in 130 years of storm measurements. Hurricane Dennis took a track that experts had identified as the "worst case" for the island of Cuba, attacking more than 70 miles of the southern coastline with 130+ mph winds and 15' to 20' storm surges before it crossed very close to the capital city of Havana. This isolated nation had just recently relaxed restrictions on worship and religion, and faith in God is spreading rapidly. Why did this happen to them at this time?

Hurricane Dennis is now heading for Pensacola, Florida and Mobile, Alabama, the same locations pounded so severely by Hurricane Ivan less than a year ago. Why there again? Why is my city being spared this time?

I started reading this psalm this weekend because of the passage about the raging seas, where mighty winds lift the waves to the heavens, then plunge the waves down to the depths. I am familiar with the feeling of a "melting soul" when faced with violent weather, and those feelings are aggravated every time thunderstorm bands spawned by tropical storms pass overhead. There is a helplessness, a sense of insignificance in the face of such immense, unstoppable power. Why are we unable to accurately predict them, and why are we unable to exert some sort of control over such devastating weather?

This psalmist never asked why, nor did he attempt to authoritatively explain and interpret what happens in this world. Instead, from the first verse to the last verse, he focused on God's goodness across the span of calamities he presented. Four times the psalmist begs, "Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness!" He calls his readers to let go of the fear of enemies that appear so powerful, or the desert that appears so desolate, or the consequences of sin and foolishness, or the dangers and threats of weather. A joyful life isn't centered on the bad that happens or might happen, but on the good that God brings about in our presence.

"Whoever is wise will observe these things,
      And they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord."

"Why" is the wrong question. "Who" is both the right question and the faith-filled answer. May God's lovingkindness pour extravagantly over London, Cuba, Pensacola, Mobile, and every other place where people are hurting, so that they can recognize and experience God's love, and "give thanks to the LORD for His goodness!"