The Lord Delivers Men from Manifold Troubles.
107 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary
3 And gathered from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the [a]south.4 They wandered in the wilderness in a [b]desert region;
They did not find a way to [c]an inhabited city.
5 They were hungry [d]and thirsty;
Their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He delivered them out of their distresses.
7 He led them also by a [e]straight way,
To go to [f]an inhabited city.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His [g]wonders to the sons of men!
9 For He has satisfied the [h]thirsty soul,
And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.
The first part of Psalm 107 reminds me of something I was reading recently, where it discussed how we are not just physical beings, but also spiritual. And this isn’t just two “aspects” of our being, but it is as if (and I think really is that) we are two beings wrapped into one. So while it seems at first the psalmist is speaking of physical hunger and thirst (and perhaps he was at first), by v. 9 we are clearly speaking of spiritual hunger and thirst.
For those who do not know God, that emptiness inside, that constant hunger for more, is your soul crying out for sustenance. As we see also in v. 9, God is the only one who can feed and satisfy your soul, your spiritual being. No amount of physical gain or pleasure can fill that aching pit in your spiritual “stomach”, to your soul they are but cheap substitutes.
For those who do know God then, are we letting God’s living water fuel our soul? If we don’t take time to pray, listen for His voice, and read His word, then we are literally starving our souls. Your soul may even be on life support if it’s been so long since you took time out for God. In this weird twist of irony, when we “take time for God” we’re also taking time for our own souls, to find the nourishment we actually crave.
One day, our flesh will die and fade, then what will be left? Will it be a thriving soul, connected to the ultimate power source? Will it be weak and decrepit, malnourished? Or will we be dead, having failed to acknowledge that this half of us even exists, that we need God, that we need saving from ourselves (our physical self, which seeks always to master us).
Seek life, seek God, not just because we should, but because we must, because it is who we were created to be. Stop wandering in the desert, and call upon His name. Then you can follow along with the psalmist, and “give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so…”