Lost, chained, a fool, or at wit's end. Which one are you?
Try finding yourself in the spectrum of Psalm 107's desperate people. Are you the lost soul wandering the wilderness, nowhere to go, hungry but not sure what for, craving a feeling of belonging? Are you the one who sits in deepest gloom, in chains of your own making? Are you the fool who turned your back on God, marched to the beat of your own drum, and now stand at death's door, crying out for help? Are you the sailor who knows God's greatness but now stands at wit's end, tossed by the storms of life?
We can all find a place somewhere in the lines of this psalm. I can, in small ways and big. Here's a small example from this weekend, and how God led me to this psalm.
I just got a job as a housekeeper in a lovely nursing home nearby. Considering how topsy-turvy the world is right now, I'm extremely thankful for the work, but y'all, the new-job jitters were real. We're talking tossing-and-turning, barely-able-to-think-about-anything-else kind of real. You could say I was in distress. I tried to fight it, tried to logic my way into being confident, but that's not really how fear works, is it?
I knew I had to trust God, and so I made the effort. I cried to the Lord in my trouble...
...and he saved me out of my distress.
In the days preceding my first solo shift, God flipped a switch in me. He reminded me that He got me this job. That He has been molding and preparing me for this through the work experience I've already had. He reminded me that I am stronger and more competent than I think and that by Him and through Him, I can do this.
Then I found Psalm 107, and I couldn't help seeing myself in all the anxious, struggling people who cry out to God and find deliverance, no matter what they've done or what mistakes they've made or how fragile their faith is. What a comfort!
Maybe you are the lost soul wandering the wilderness. Cry out to God: He will satisfy your hunger and give you the home you've been seeking.
Maybe you are the prisoner of self-inflicted chains. Cry out to God and He will shine light into your darkness, show you the way to freedom and walk you there Himself.
Maybe you are the fool who's made all the wrong choices. Cry out to God and He will send His Word to heal you from your regrets and give you a new beginning.
Maybe you're the sailor who knows exactly how great God is, and you just need to trust Him with your fears. Cry out to God. He's got you.
Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses. (Ps. 107:6)
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