“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south. Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery. They rebelled against the words of God, scorning the counsel of the Most High. That is why he broke them with hard labor; they fell, and no one was there to help them. “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; he snapped their chains. Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. For he broke down their prison gates of bronze; he cut apart their bars of iron. Some were fools; they rebelled and suffered for their sins. They couldn’t stand the thought of food, and they were knocking on death’s door. “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death. Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.”
Psalms 107:1-22 NLT
God is the same at all times in all situations. He can be trusted to respond with absolute certainty and even tested in that response. Psalm 107 elucidates this point. Though man has different types of trauma and difficulties, God’s response is always salvific in nature. This is not to say that God always saves, nor that he denies the will of his creation. It means that he has an orientation of character that is always seeking to meet every situation with salvation and grace. Whenever this doesn’t happen, you can rest assured that this outcome is the product of the creation and not the creator. This orientation is not dependent upon the creature at all. It is also not dependent upon the circumstances. Instead it is entirely self directed. God saves because God saves. It is his nature to do so. To have faith in him is only to wait and watch for the impetus of grace to spill over in the direction of all who submit to it. This is as predictable as the passage of time or the waves of the ocean. This gives us a reasonable vehicle by which we can navigate all of life’s difficulties with ease and calm.
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