Psalm 107 — The Yeti Version
The Rhythm of Grace
This one kind of feels like the Beatitudes and also feels like Proverbs. It is an invitation to listen to all the people that God saves and see if there is a pattern. It then goes through cycles with verses repeating themselves in a sandwich kind of fashion. There is definitely structure to this one, and I’ve tried to highlight that with formatting. For a reliable translation, please see the ESV version.
God is good and loyal forever and I am happy for that.
Just listen to the people who he saved — they will tell you!
They used to live all across the world, but God brought them all back home.
Some were wandering around deserts looking for shelter.
Exhausted, famished, and parched, they were hopeless.
But then they desperately asked for God’s help and he answered.
He pointed them in the direction of the nearest city, and they found it.
Just listen to them thanking God for how loyal and wonderful he is.
He quenches our deepest thirst. He cares for people.
Some people were locked away in dark prisons, close to death.
They were in that position because they disregarded and disobeyed God.
So God humbled them with terribly hard work. With no one else to help them, they fell on their faces.
But then they desperately asked for God’s help and he answered.
He brought them out of the near death and hopeless situation that they were in.
Just listen to them thanking God for how loyal and wonderful he is.
He sets us free from the most constricting prisons.
Some people were just plain stupid in how they disobeyed God — like they weren’t even being smart about it like others were. And big surprise, they suffered because of it.
They lost the will to live and even lost the desire to eat.
But then they desperately asked for God’s help and he answered.
He said a word, and boom — they were healed and saved from their situation.
Just listen to them thanking God for how loyal and wonderful he is.
Just watch how much they’ll give back to God in thanks. Just watch how much they sing about him.
Some people were sea merchants who decided to try to travel in a great storm.
They challenged the mighty ocean in its most powerful state, a dreadful demonstration of the power of God.
It was God who controlled the storms and the waves.
Between waves, their boats shot up to the sky and sank deep into the water. Their rebellious confidence was pounded out of them.
They floundered about the ship dazed and confused.
But then they desperately asked for God’s help and he answered.
God quieted the storm, and everything was still.
They were so relieved, and God brought them to their destination.
Just listen to them thanking God for how loyal and wonderful he is.
Just listen to how they praise God in church in front of everyone and the leaders.
He flips the world upside down if he needs to. He turns lush ecosystems into arid wastelands.
That is, if evil people live there.
But he does the reverse as well, turning deserts into fountains.
That is, if there are hungry people in need of a place to eat and live.
There they can create farmlands and vineyards and have bountiful harvest.
With God helping them, they will do fantastically.
When society is in shambles because of the abundance of evil and oppression,
God takes it out on their leaders and sends them into the wilderness.
But he takes the poor and helps them flourish.
This makes people with integrity happy and dishonest people shut up.
Whoever thinks they are smart should think about these things and think about how loyal God is to his promises.
