Delivered From Distress
The Father & The Wanderers
September 29, 2021 • Jeff Lyle • Psalm 107:1–9
Nobody enjoys the feeling of helplessness. We much prefer feeling large and in charge. Weakness, lack, dependence and hungers are not the things we desire to describe the core of our daily lives. Yet, for those who live by faith, it is nearly impossible to experience spiritual growth without God allowing these types of elements to cycle in and out of our lives. God does not wish for us to live in our own strengths or sufficiency. As we begin to explore the 107th Psalm, the first nine verses remind us that, apart from the Father’s intervening grace and supply, we are all lost, spiritually homeless, scattered, troubled and destined for distress. The joy of these verses is that we are NOT forgotten by the Father and left on our own. His compassionate heart goes after all wanderers. He moves when we cry out to Him for help. God will not forget you.
The Redeemer & The Captives
October 6, 2021 • Jeff Lyle • Psalm 107:10–16
It is not difficult for us to understand that God will rescue His children from the attacks of the enemy. It is easy to grasp how He swoops in, destroys what threatens us, and then brings us back safely to His appointed places. Yes, God clearly protects and rescues His own. But how eager are we to believe in a rescue from trouble that we ourselves have created? Should we expect God to mov win the same zeal to bring us out of messes that arise from our own sin and rebellion? This portion of Psalm 107 reveals how our Redeemer moves in grace and mercy to bring us out of some awful circumstances that come about because of our own failures. If we cannot envision His love and kindness to us when we least deserve it, then we do not yet comprehend the fullness of His merciful heart.
The Deliverer & The Desperate
October 13, 2021 • Jeff Lyle • Psalm 107:17–22
Some Christian tend to believe that God is only eager to help those who get in a difficult circumstances due to the fault of others. Maybe the devil attacked and made life hard. It could be that some other human made a mistake that put us in a major challenge. When the fault is someone else’s, most of us believe God will almost always come to our rescue. But what about when we ourselves blew it and are now reaping what we sowed? Should we expect God to help us then? This portion of Psalm 107 highlights the goodness and willingness of God to come to the rescue to deliver us from our self-imposed messes and distresses. We need relief from our troubles, and only God can meet our desperation with Heavenly intervention and powerful remedy. The question is whether or not we posses elevated confidence to expect Him to come to our rescue when we are in trouble due to our own poor decisions and sinful actions. This is a Psalm of hope for that very issue!
The Restorer & The Oppressed
October 27, 2021 • Jeff Lyle • Psalm 107:33–43
It is undeniable that God allows for extreme circumstances to find His children. He is a protector - but He only protects us from that which would ultimately harm us. He is not obligated to protect us from extremes that serve to develop us. In fact, He harnesses difficulty in order to fashion us into His own likeness. When a distress or difficulty accomplishes His purposes for us, God enacts powerful reversals. He literally overhauls the circumstances and brings forth treasure from the trial. For those who are oppressed, smothered, persecuted or opposed, God will take care of what threatens you and accomplish a full and final deliverance. This Psalm reveals what this process often looks like in the life of a believer.