In order to hear, see and understand a good story the stage needs to be set. In other words, a person needs to be prepared and prompted to hear and see the story in the way the author intended. I experienced the stage being set for an evening of Shakespeare this past summer. While vacationing in Maine, my wife, one of my daughters, and I went to a small community theater to see a Shakespeare play entitled, "The Winters Tale." As we were waiting for the theater to open its doors, a young man came outside with a large ladder and proceeded to climb up onto the roof of the theater. Once on top of the roof he struck a dramatic pose as if calling to someone. Then, a short distance away from the man, a young woman appeared on a small balcony. She cried out the well—known words, "O Romeo, O Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?" The man and the woman, on the roof and balcony, over looking the parking lot of the theater, launched into a wonderful recitation of the "Porch Scene" from Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet." The stage was set for a night of Shakespeare and his stories.
Likewise Psalm 107 sets the stage for us to hear God and the collective stories of his salvation given to us his people. This Psalm sets the stage by telling us four stories of salvation. Right in the middle of each story we read, "Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble." Verses 6, 13, 19, and 28 all contain this same line. Right in the middle of each story, right at the turning point of each story, God’s people call out to God in prayer. In other words, right at the heart of these stories of salvation, the prayers of God’s people are emphasized. God’s people pray and they are saved.
By telling the stories in this way, the psalmist sets the stage for our own prayers. Essentially then, the whole Psalm forms a call to prayer. In fact, historically we believe that the Psalm was used in worship as a public recitation of God’s great redemptive acts and, a grateful response by his worshipping people.
The Psalmist has set the stage for us to pray our way through God’s great stories of salvation. Are we ready to hear the stories? Let’s jump in.
The first story, which is told in verses 4—9, is a story of wanderers led in the way—wanderers led in the way. The opening words of this story of wandering are desolate words. Words like, wastelands, no way, hungry, thirsty, lives ebbing away—these are the words of wilderness wandering.
These words would have been familiar to ancient Israel. In fact, the words seem to intentionally echo the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites while they waited for God to bring them to the Promised Land. The image of wandering in the wilderness and being hungry, thirsty and lost would resonate with the deep covenantal memories of the great stories of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Yes, the words would have been familiar to ancient Israel.
But this story of wilderness wandering isn’t just an ancient story. This story, at least in a figurative sense, also echoes some of our own experiences, I dare say. All of us have experienced our share of wilderness wanderings, haven’t we? These are the times that we know we are on our way somewhere, in God’s providence and sovereign control; but, we have no idea exactly where we are going or how it will turn out. I’m talking about the times when we lose a job that we thought the Lord had meant for us; or the time when we lose a spouse with whom we thought we would have many more years; or the time when there is some trouble in the family that rips the family apart and we are afraid it can never be put back together again; or the time when we are lost, when we know that God is there but we do not feel him or see him or know how he is caring for us. These are the wilderness wanderings that we know all too well.
As we see in the story of wilderness wanderings in our text, the thing to do in the midst of all such wandering is to cry out to the Lord in our trouble. Praying the salvation story means crying out to God in our trouble, and waiting for his deliverance. As verse 6, the turning point in the story, makes clear, when God’s people cried out to him, he delivered them from their distress. The story reaches its climax, not in the wandering or even in the crying out in a desperate prayer. The story reaches its climax when God comes bringing deliverance. In other words, God’s people are not left wandering forever; they are shown the way to salvation and the way is through God’s deliverance.
This story of wilderness wandering transformed into deliverance is what we see in Jesus’ life, is it not? Remember Thomas, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples? On the very night when Jesus is going to the cross, Thomas says to Jesus, "Lord, we don’t know where you are going so how can we know the way?" Thomas speaks for all the disciples who are lost—theologically lost—wandering in the wilderness of their own confusion regarding the impending death of their Lord. Thomas speaks for each of us as well—for all who are confused, lost and wandering. "Lord," we cry out, "we don’t know the way out of our wilderness." Jesus himself answers, "I am the way, the truth and the life."
So you see where this first salvation story has brought us. It has brought us to the depth of despair where we cry out to God, and it has brought us to the heights of deliverance as God answers our cries. The model for praying the salvation story is already clear then. We pray the salvation story when we pray in the midst of wilderness wanderings, crying out to God in distress. And we pray the salvation story when we rejoice in the deliverance that God brings through Christ, the Way.
But this first story of wanderers led into the way of our Lord is not the only story in our lives or in the text. Look at the second story in the Psalm, a story of prisoners set free! Verses 10—16 tell us this story of imprisonment and freedom. For ancient Israel, this story echoes of their captivity in foreign lands far away from God’s Promised Land. If the scholars are right in believing that this Psalm was written and first used by the worshipping community of those ancient believers who had returned from decades of exile, then imagine how the story would resonate with them. It is a story of prisoners sitting in darkness and chains; a story of bitter, forced labor—of people stumbling in slavery because they had rebelled against God. The people of Israel knew this story. But they also knew the turning point of the story. In verse 13 we read that God’s people cried out in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. Presumably, many of the first hearers of this Psalm would have lived through that deliverance. They knew the story.
Many of us know the story as well. Some of us have been physically imprisoned. Others of us know loved ones in prison or we minister in prisons. Sometimes, we are imprisoned not so much by physical chains but by addictions or sins of rebellion against God, that have grabbed hold of us. Perhaps our prison is a prison of unbelief because events have seemingly conspired against us robbing us of our faith. Yes, we along with ancient Israel know what it is to be imprisoned. Do we also know what it is to cry out to God in our distress?
Praying the salvation story means lamenting and confessing our own imprisonment. It means crying out to God for deliverance. It means recognizing those great words of the classic Christian Hymn, written by Charles Wesley, entitled, "And Can It Be." Listen to the third verse of that hymn: "Long my imprisoned spirit lay fast bound in sin and nature’s night. Your sunrise turned that night to day; I woke—the dungeon flamed with light! The chains fell off, your voice I knew; I rose, went out, and followed you." This is the gospel story of salvation.
So you see where this second salvation story has brought us. It has brought us to the depth of despair where we cry out to God, and it has brought us to the heights of deliverance as God answers our cries. The model for praying the salvation story has been reinforced. We pray the salvation’s story when we pray in the midst of the imprisonment of our sin. And we pray the salvation story when we sing and rejoice in the deliverance the God brings through Christ.
There is a third story in our text and in our lives. For me, it is the most painful story. Verses 17—22 tell us the story of fools. The biblical definition of a fool is one who refuses to live in the truth of God’s reality. In other words, fools say in their hearts that there is no God and then they live like it. Fools suffer the self—inflicted wounds of their rebellion and sin. This is a hard story for us to hear in today’s cultural and political climate. To call a person a fool because they reject the true God is considered intolerant and inappropriate in most of our cultures. It is even more politically incorrect to state, as our psalmist does, that sometimes affliction, hunger and even drawing near to death is caused by our own foolishness. But the simple truth of this story is that too often we follow our own ways and chase our own desires. We act as fools, ignoring or rebelling against God, and we pay the price.
Unfortunately, ancient Israel knew the story of folly. They knew what it was to foolishly reject God and go their own way. We too, today, know that story of folly. We break God’s commandments, lusting after people and coveting things that do not belong to us; lying and committing adultery; putting other false gods before the one true God. Yes, we know what it is to be fools. But do we know the rest of the salvation story?
However, there is hope for the foolish in our story. This story of salvation has a key turning point just like the first two stories. Verse 19 tells us that when the foolish cried to the Lord in their trouble, he saved them from their distress. Once again we find salvation in this story. For God sends his word forth, the foolish are healed and delivered from death and rejoice in their salvation.
So you see where this third salvation story has brought us. It has brought us to the depth of despair where we cry out to God, and it has brought us to the heights of deliverance as God answers our cries. The model for praying the salvation story has been reinforced for a third time now. We pray salvation’s story when we pray in the midst of the foolishness of our sin. And we pray the salvation story when we sing and rejoice in the deliverance that God brings through Christ.
There is yet one more story. This story, told in verses 23—32, is the story of the sea—the story of storm—tossed sailors given safe harbor in the Lord. This story is a little longer than all the others as the Psalmist takes the time to develop the story. The picture we get is not of a few novice individuals on flimsy boats. Instead it is a picture of experienced sailors on fine sailing ships. But when a powerful storm stirs up the sea, these experienced sailors find themselves overwhelmed by fear, sure that they will die.
Some of those from ancient Israel may have thought of the words of Isaiah 54:11 when they heard this story. In that verse, Isaiah refers to Jerusalem as an "afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted." In spite of Jerusalem’s experience as the central city of God’s people, the city of the temple, the Ship of State for God’s ancient people; still it came to know what it was to be lashed by the spiritual and physical storms of sin and rebellion against God. Jerusalem was overwhelmed.
We also, at times, are lashed about by a storm—tossed sea. We are adrift in our own sins. There have been times when I have felt adrift, and I regularly talk with people who are living in stormy seas. I talked to a woman just yesterday who has a problem with drug addiction. You name it, she’s done it. She told me the same story I have heard many times before from her. She boldly proclaims that she knows what she is doing. She’s just fine and has it all under control. But I am afraid that I know where she is headed. The storm and downward spiral of drug abuse will overtake her again because she is trusting only in herself.
But there is hope in our text for her, for me, for you and for Jerusalem of old. Again, for the fourth time in this Psalm, right here in the middle of the fourth story, we again hear the familiar words: "They cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress." The Psalmist adds that the sailors were "glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven." The prophet Isaiah who called Jerusalem an "afflicted city, lashed by storms, and not comforted" also prophecies that the city will be rebuilt and there will be great peace. God brings deliverance!
So you see where this fourth and final salvation story has brought us. It has brought us to the depth of despair where we cry out to God, and it has brought us to the heights of deliverance as God answers our cries. The model for praying the salvation story has been given to us four times now. We pray the salvation’s story when we pray in the midst of the storm tossed sea. And we pray the salvation story when we sing and rejoice in the safe haven that God brings through Christ.
Having arrived at the conclusion of our four stories, I remind you that the stage has been set for us. The question is what will we do with the set stage of this Psalm?
Let me take you back to the small theater in Maine and the Shakespeare play that I spoke of in my introduction. My teenage daughter only reluctantly accompanied my wife and I to the play. She doubted that anything good could come from a "dumb" Shakespearean play. But the preliminary recitation of the Porch Scene from Romeo and Juliet—along with the fine stage craft of the actors and stage hands—opened her eyes to least the possibility that Shakespeare had something to offer. At the conclusion of the play she said that it "wasn’t too bad." Not effusive praise to be sure, but pretty good coming from my skeptical teenage daughter.
I hope that like my daughter, we, having heard the stories of this Psalm—having the stage so well set for us by the Psalmist—are ready to pray the salvation story. The four stories of salvation have set the stage for our prayers. We pray salvation’s story when we pray in the midst of our own particular story of trouble. And we pray salvation’s story when we remind ourselves of God’s past and present deliverance. We pray salvation’s story when we thank God for his Son Jesus who is the way. We pray salvation’s story when we sing and rejoice in the salvation that God brings through Christ.
As has become our pattern over these past weeks, let’s end with the Lord’s Prayer.
Prayer
Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be your name;
Your Kingdom come;
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Let all God’s people say, "Amen."
Paul DeVries
Rev. Paul DeVries, most commonly referred to as “Pastor Paul”, is the Sr. Pastor of Brookside Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is married to Diane (nee Vanden Akker) and the father of four children. He graduated from Calvin Theological Seminary in 1989 and served for 12 years as the pastor of Unity Christian Reformed Church in Prospect Park, New Jersey. As a pastor his first love and greatest joy comes in the honor of bringing God’‘s Word to his congregation on a weekly basis through his preaching. He enjoys reading, camping with his family, watching his children’‘s sporting events, and working on home improvement projects - inside and outside his home.
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