GOD DELIVERS

 

 

Psa. 107:6, 13, 19, 28

 

Prayer

 

Today, I want to discuss the 107th Psalm.

It’s about four groups of people who had problems.

 

All four groups cried out to God.

And all four groups were delivered.

 

The 1st group wandered in the wilderness.

Verse 4 reads, “They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way;”

 

“They found no city to dwell in.”

We don’t know who this group was.

 

Some say it was Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

They wandered in the Promised Land;

 

Lived in tents;

Longed for the day they could live in that heavenly city designed and built by          

God.

 

Paul said, “By faith he [Abraham] sojourned in the land of promise, as in a   

strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs         

with him of the same promise:”

“For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is

God” (Heb. 11:9-10).

 

Others say this was the Hebrews in the wilderness.

Moses led them to Kadesh-Barnea.

 

God told them to go in and possess the land.

But they didn’t trust God.

 

He turned them around.

And they wandered in the wilderness for forty years.

 

Still others say this refers to people today;

People searching for something;

 

Moving from city to city;

Job to job;

 

Marriage to marriage;

Church to Church.

 

Verse 5 reads, “Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.”

Many can’t find a Church where they can feed on the Bread of Life;

 

A Church where they can drink from the Living Water of the Holy Spirit.

So they wander from Church to Church.

 

Or, they stop attending Church altogether.

“Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out  

of their distresses (Vs. 6).

 

“And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of         

habitation“ (Vs. 7).

They cried out to God.

 

He led them in the right way.

Why?

 

So they could go to heaven.

Turn your life over to God.

 

Let Him put you on the straight path.

Let Him lead you through the wilderness.

 

Let Him lead you to that heavenly city.

Dr. Henry Brandt said, “You cannot erase the past.”

 

“You cannot decide what your marriage partner will do.”

“You cannot control the conduct of your associates.”

 

“You cannot control the turn of world events.”

“But you can control your sin.”

 

You cannot change the ways of others.

But you can change your ways.

 

J. C. Penny said, “The problem is not learning to get along with others.”

“The problem is learning to change ourselves.”

 

Your sin is not someone else’s fault.

Your sin is your fault.

And you can do something about it.

“Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful

works to the children of men!”

 

“For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness”         

(Vs. 8).

We need to praise God.

 

He is good to us.

He wants to get us out of the wilderness.

 

He wants to lead us in ways that are right.

And He wants to give us that inner peace that passes all understanding.

 

The 2nd group was bound in a dark prison.

Verse 10 reads, “Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being   

bound in affliction and iron.”

 

When the Hebrews left Egypt, God took them to Migdol for their first test    

(Ex. 14:2).

They failed it.

 

Pharaoh trapped them against the Red Sea.

They asked, “Did you bring us into the wilderness to die” (Ex. 14:11)?

 

Next, God took them to Marah for their second test (Ex. 15:23).

They failed it.

 

They arrived thirsty.

But the water was too bitter to drink.

 

They complained.

They blamed God.

 

Then, God took them to Rephidim for their third test (Ex. 17:1).

They failed it.

 

They got thirsty again.

“Wherefore is this that thou has brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us . . .

with thirst” (Ex. 17:3)?

 

Are you beginning to see the picture?

The Hebrews wandered in darkness;

 

Prisoners of sin;

Bound and chained with shackles of unbelief;

 

Failing every test God sent their way.

This is a picture of the lost person.

 

Wandering in darkness;

A prisoner of sin;

 

Bound and chained by sinful attitudes, habits, materialism and pleasure;

Failing every test God sends his way.

 

Saturday afternoon he thinks, “I should go to Church tomorrow.”

But he decides to get the boat ready and go fishing.

 

The next Sunday he wakes up thinking, “I should get up and go to Church.”

But he decides to roll over and go back to sleep.

He’s bound by sin.

Failing the tests of God.

 

Why does this happen?

The Psalmist said, “Because they rebelled against the words of God, and      

contemned the counsel of the most High” (Vs. 11).

 

These people don’t want to live by the Word of God.

They reject the very wisdom of God.

 

And notice, what happens.

“Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there         

was none to help” (Vs. 12).

 

Many don’t believe this.

But some problems are sent by God.

 

We have them because God sees a need to humble us.

When He does, no one can help us.

 

We can go to the doctor.

We can get the pastor and Church to pray.

 

But that won’t change the situation because God is at work in our life.

“Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of   

their distresses” (Vs. 13).

 

That’s where we can get help.

God won’t hide from a crying sinner.

 

God can set a crying sinner free.

Repentance is a step toward deliverance.

 

“He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their  

bands in sunder” (Vs. 14).

When Moses cried out to God at Migdol, God parted the waters and the      

Hebrews walked across on dry land.

 

When Moses cried out to God at Marah, God told him to cast a tree into the water

and it became sweet.

When Moses cried out to God at Rephidim, God sent him to Horeb to strike a       

rock and pure water gushed forth.

 

“Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful

works to the children of men” (Vs. 15).

“For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder”    

(Vs. 16).

 

We need to praise God.

He delivers us out of our problems.

 

Jean-Paul Sartie said, “Man can count on no one but himself.”

That’s not what God said.

 

God said, “You’re not alone.”

“Cry out to me.”

 

“I’ll tear down the prison gates.”

“I’ll cut the prison bars in two.”

 

“I’ll set the prisoner free.”

Some people say, “I’m chained to my sinful habits.”

“I can’t break my chains.”

God says, “Come to me, chains and all.”

 

“You can’t break them, but I can.”

Samuel Johnson talked about this.

 

He said, “The chains of sin are too small to be felt at first.”

“But they become too strong to be broken without God’s help.”

 

We underestimate the power of sin.

We think we can run our own lives.

 

But we can get in over our head.

We can think one drink won’t matter.

 

But we can get hooked.

We can think missing Church one time won’t matter.

 

But we can wind up not going at all.

The small chains of sin can become stronger and stronger, harder and harder          

to break.

 

A Japanese Company offered $50,000 for just one very large blue fin tuna.

Some inexperienced fishermen were impressed.

 

“$50,000 for just one very large blue fin tuna.”

“We’ll catch one.”

 

They didn’t realize that a very large blue fin tuna can weigh as much as 1500

pounds.

They went out in small boats.

 

One group in the 19 foot Cristi Ann hooked a large blue fin tuna.

The fish pulled the boat through high waves and capsized it.

 

A second fish capsized the 27 foot Basic Instinct the same way.

A third fish capsized the 28 foot Official Business the same way.

 

Three boats in one day because the fishermen underestimated the power of   

the large blue fin tuna.

That’s the way sin is.

 

People underestimate the power of sin.

They become a prisoner before they realize what’s happening.

 

The 3rd group suffered from ignorance.

“Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are      

afflicted” (Vs. 17).

 

A fool is someone who lacks good judgment;

Someone who sins without considering the consequences.

 

A young lady I know is expecting a baby out of wedlock.

It’s bad enough that she’s not married.

 

But she was born with an affliction.

She has to take medicine.

 

Her medicine can kill or deform her baby.

The birth of her child can kill her.

 

Her doctor wants her to have an abortion.

She doesn’t want it.

 

She believes it’s wrong.

I agree that it’s wrong in most cases.

 

But this case would be a problem for me.

If it was my daughter, I wouldn’t know how to advise her.

 

Is this young lady a fool?

The Bible tells me not to call her a fool.

 

But it teaches that she has done a foolish thing (Titus 3:3).

We’ve all been there, done that.

 

A person needs to consider the consequences.

“What if I get AIDS?”

 

What if I get hooked on drugs?

What if my sugar goes too high?

 

What if I get drunk and have a wreck?

What if I get cancer?

 

What if my medical bills cost thousands of dollars?

A person also needs to consider God.

 

Napoleon said, “I will conquer the world.”

He didn’t count on Wellington defeating him at Waterloo.

 

In exile, he wrote, “There was a hand moving in Europe which I did not see.”

“I did not see the hand of God.”

 

That’s the fool.

He sins because he does not see the hand of God.

 

“Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates  

of death” (Vs. 18).

This Bible is meat for the soul.

 

Don’t abhor what it says.

Folly can bring you close to the gates of death.

 

It was 1967.

A small private plane was approaching the Ashville, North Carolina airport.

 

The pilot was careless.

He wandered slightly off course.

 

He didn’t get off course very much.

But he got off course just enough to collide with a 727 that was approaching

the same airport.

 

Everyone was killed.

If you get away from the Bible, you’re getting off course.

 

Just one little careless act can do a lot of harm to you and to others.

“Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of     

their distresses” (Vs. 19).

 

“He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their      

destructions” (Vs. 20).

Don’t despise that pastor, Sunday School teacher, or friend that speaks the   

Word of God to you.

 

Pay attention to the Word of God.

Admit your sins.

 

Cry out to God;

And look for help.

 

“Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful

works to the children of men” (Vs. 21).

“Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with

rejoicing” (Vs. 22).

 

We need to praise God by doing what He wants us to do.

And joyfully tell others what He has done.

 

The 4th group went out to sea.

“They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters”

(Vs. 23).

 

“These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep” (Vs. 24).

This group knows what God can do.

 

But they choose to ignore it.

God sent the Ten Plagues to make Pharaoh let His people go.

 

He parted the Red Sea to let His people escape the Egyptian army.

God’s people knew what He could do.

 

But they chose to ignore it.

While Moses was up on Mt. Sinai, they made a golden calf.

 

And worshiped it.

Look at how God responds.

 

“For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves

thereof” (Vs. 25).

Satan causes some of our problems.

 

We bring some of our problems on ourselves.

But some of our problems are because, “God commandeth, and raiseth the  

storm.”

 

Consider Jonah.

He knew what God wanted.

 

But he pushed God’s will aside;

Got on a ship;

 

Went out to sea.

And God sent a storm.

 

The waves rocked the boat.

Our text reads, “They mount up to the heaven,”

 

“They go down again to the depths:”

“Their soul is melted because of trouble” (Vs. 23).

 

The waves in God’s storm will go up to heaven.

They will drop down to the depths of the sea.

 

They will scare the living daylights out of people.

“They [people will] reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at         

their wit's end” (Vs. 27).

 

Have you ever been to your wit’s end?

God knows how to bring you to your wit’s end;

 

How to make you reel and stagger like a drunk man;

How to make you get on your knees and cry out for help.

 

He did it to John Newton.

John Newton owned a ship.

 

He transported slaves from Africa to England.

Slave trading was a sin.

 

He ran into a storm.

The waves grew higher and higher.

 

John Newton thought these waves will sink my ship.

And I will die.

 

“Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of  

their distresses” (Vs. 28).

John Newton cried out to God.

 

He gave his heart to God.

God delivered him.

 

He became a great preacher.

He wrote a great song.

 

          Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound,

                   That saved a wretch like me!

          I once was lost, but now am found,

                   Was blind, but now I see.

 

          ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

                   And grace my fears re-lieved;

          How precious did that grace appear

                   The hour I first believed.

 

          Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,

                   I have already come;

          Tis grace hath bro’t me safe thus far

                   And grace will lead me home

 

And I say to you, if you’ve come to your wit’s end.

There’s always the chance that it’s the grace of God working in your life.

 

Finally, “He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still”

(Vs. 29).

“Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their      

desired haven” (Vs. 30).

God can stop the storm.

God can bring you into a safe haven.

 

Be happy about that.

“Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful

works to the children of men” (Vs. 31).

 

“Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in

the assembly of the elders” (Vs. 32).

We need to learn to exalt God in the congregation of the people;

 

To praise God in the assembly of the elders.

This message can be summarized by one verse of Scripture.

 

“Call upon me in the day of trouble:”

“I will deliver thee,”

 

“And thou shalt glorify me” (Psa. 50:15).