In the fifth book of the Psalms, Psalms 107-150, we read about praising God and His Word. Psalms 113-118 are often referred to as the Hallel psalms; these were sung on festive occasions, such as at Pentecost, the feast of Tabernacles, and the feast of Dedication. This was probably the hymn which our Saviour and His disciples sang at the conclusion of the Passover supper, Matthew 26:30 / Mark 14:26.
In Book 1, the name ‘Yahweh’ is found two hundred and seventy-three times. In Book 2, the name ‘Yahweh’ is found seventy-four times. In Book 3, the name ‘Yahweh’ is found thirteen times, and finally, in Books 4 and 5, the name ‘Yahweh’ is found three-hundred and thirty-nine times. As you can see, the name ‘Yahweh’ is more popular in Book 1.
In Book 1, the name ‘Elohim’ is found fifteen times. In Book 2, the name ‘Elohim’ is found two hundred and seven times. In Book 3, the name ‘Elohim’ is found thirty-six times and finally, in Books 4 and 5, the name ‘Elohim’ is found seven times. As you can see, the name ‘Elohim’ is more popular in Book 2.
This psalm is a psalm of adoration and worship, and although the psalmist is unknown, they are confident that when they pray to God in times of distress, God will answer their prayer and come to help them.
The psalmist begins by asking everyone to give thanks to God for His goodness and love, which endures forever, Psalm 107:1. Giving thanks to God for His love is a theme which runs through this psalm; it’s used five times.
The psalmist calls upon those who have been redeemed to tell their own stories of redemption, Psalm 107:2 / Isaiah 43:3. The remnant of Israel was rescued out of the lands of their captivity, Psalm 107:2. God did this through Cyrus, the king of the Medo-Persian Empire, Isaiah 44:28-45:7.
The psalmist reminds their readers of their redemption from the hand of their foes, and those He gathered from the lands from all directions, Psalm 107:2-3. The historical setting of this psalm appears to be speaking about the gathering of those who had been scattered in the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities. It was a joyous occasion and one of thanksgiving to God.
This happened in three stages. The first stage was by the decree of Cyrus for the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild their temple to God in 538 B.C. Ezra 1-6.
The second stage was when the religious leader was Ezra the scribe in 457 B.C. Ezra 7-10. The third stage was when Nehemiah was allowed to return to the land in order to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and enable the people to re-inhabit the city, 445/444 B.C. Nehemiah 1:1-11.
Because the remnant were discriminated against while in captivity, the Jews were given the worst of the lands in the region of their captors. Some lived in the wilderness and some through the desert wastelands, Psalm 107:4.
They were in great distress, they were hungry and thirsty, and their lives were failing, Psalm 107:5, but when they cried out to God for help, God delivered them from their distress, Psalm 107:6 / Job 23:9.
Despite not being able to find a way to a city where they could settle, God led them straight to a city where they could settle, Psalm 107:7. It was those redeemed people who are encouraged to give thanks to God for His love and His wonderful deeds, Psalm 107:8. Earlier those redeemed were hungry and thirsty but now God satisfies their hunger and thirst would good things, Psalm 107:9 / Isaiah 29:8 / Luke 1:46-55.
Some of those whom God redeemed were greatly suffering in prison, they were bound in iron chains in complete darkness, Psalm 107:10 / Job 3:5 / Job 10:21 / Job 36:8 / Psalm 23:4 / Psalm 44:19 / Isaiah 9:2 / Luke 1:79 / Ephesians 4:1.
These were the Jews who found themselves in captivity because they had rebelled against the will of God while in the land of Palestine, Psalm 107:11 / Daniel 9:5-8.
When God subjected those who went against His will to bitter labour, Psalm 107:12 / Genesis 41:51 / Deuteronomy 26:7 / Job 3:10 / Job 16:2, they found that there was no one to help them, Psalm 107:12, but when they cried out to God for help, God saved them from their distress, Psalm 107:13.
In other words, despite breaking God’s laws, God in His mercy released them from the darkness of prison and their chains, Psalm 107:14. These ex-prisoners should also give thanks to God for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds, Psalm 107:15. They should give thanks to God because they recognise and have partaken of His grace, 2 Corinthians 4:15.
When God freed the captives from their bondage, He broke down the gates of bronze and bars of iron, Psalm 107:16 / Isaiah 45:2. Some of those whom God gathered were fools because they rebelled and, as a result, they suffered affliction, Psalm 107:17.
They had lost their appetite, Psalm 107:18, that is, their spiritual appetite for God and they drew near the gates of death, Psalm 107:18, that is, they almost died of spiritual starvation, Romans 6:23.
Once again, when they cried out to God for help in their time of trouble, despite their rebellious ways, God in His grace, saved them from their distress, Psalm 107:19.
Notice it was the power of God’s Word which healed them and rescued them from the grave, Psalm 107:20 / Matthew 8:8 / Luke 7:7. God’s Word has the power to heal the spiritually sick, Psalm 105:19 / Isaiah 9:8 / Isaiah 55:11 / John 1:1-14 / 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 / Hebrews 4:12.
Those who God healed by His word are to offer thanksgiving offerings to the Lord, Psalm 107:21-22, and tell everyone what God has done through His sons, Psalm 107:22 / Leviticus 7:11-15 / Leviticus 22:29-30 / Isaiah 38:20 / 2 Corinthians 4:15.
Some of those whom God gathered came by sea; they were merchants on the mighty waters, Psalm 107:23. The sea was viewed to be at a lower elevation because men had to go down from the land or mountains to board the ships on the sea.
Whilst on the sea, all those merchants saw the wonderful works of God, Psalm 107:24, but they also saw the high waves lifted high when God spoke, Psalm 107:25. The high waves were like a roller coaster, they went up as high as the heavens and plunged back down again to the depths, Psalm 107:26.
They are in a desperate situation, and their courage melted away, Psalm 107:26 / Exodus 15:15 / Joshua 2:9 / Joshua 2:24 / Nahum 1:5. The raging of the sea was so bad that they reeled and staggered around like drunk men; they are desperate and at their wits’ end, Psalm 107:27.
They too cried out to God for help in their trouble and God in His grace brought them out of their distress, Psalm 107:28. God did this by commanding the seas to calm down, Psalm 107:29, God calmed the storm, Matthew 8:26.
Once again, the psalmist calls upon those seas merchants whom God saved, to give thanks to God for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds, Psalm 107:30-31.
The psalmist calls upon those sea merchants not only to give thanks to God for His unfailing love and wonderful deeds but also to exalt God among the people and praise Him among the elders, Psalm 107:32.
It was because of the sin of Israel that God brought drought over the land, hence, rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground, a fruitful land into a salt waste, Psalm 107:33-34 / Genesis 13:10 / Isaiah 44:26-27.
When the captives returned from captivity in repentance, God made the land fruitful, hence deserts into pools of water, parched ground into flowing springs, Psalm 107:35 / Job 39:6 / Isaiah 35:6-7 / Jeremiah 17:6.
For those who were almost ready to die of hunger, God met their needs and gave them a place to permanently live in, Psalm 107:36. They sowed fields and planted vineyards which produced fruit, Psalm 107:37.
God didn’t allow their herds to diminish, Psalm 107:38, and so, God blessed the people richly and they grew in numbers, Psalm 107:38 / Genesis 13:16 / Genesis 22:17 / Genesis 26:4 / Genesis 32:12.
Just as quickly as God can increase the number of His people, He can also decrease the number of His people, Psalm 107:39. Despite all these blessings from God, despite their numbers being increased, God’s people began to decrease in numbers as they experienced humility, oppression, calamity, and sorrow, Psalm 107:39.
God can also pour contempt on those who are noble, Psalm 107:40, or princes, as some translations render that word, Job 12:21. He can make them wander in a wasteland, Psalm 107:40, especially those who humiliate, oppress, cause calamity and sorrow upon others.
God can also lift up those who are in need, those who are being afflicted and increase their families like a flock, Psalm 107:41. Those who are righteous will see what God is capable of doing, Psalm 107:42, that is, they see how God brings down those who oppress and how He lifts up the needy, and they will rejoice. While the righteous rejoice, the mouths of the wicked are shut, Psalm 107:42 / Job 5:16 / 1 Peter 2:15.
The psalmist ends by encouraging the wise to heed these things and ponder on God’s loving deeds, Psalm 107:43. In other words, wisdom lets us see God’s great love for His people and how God hears the prayers of His people and answers them, James 5:14-15. Wisdom helps us understand why we should give thanks to God for redeeming His people and His unfailing love.
The psalmist reminded us that when we cry out to God for help, He hears us and will deliver us. One of the most frustrating parts about being a Christian and praying is when our prayers seem to go unanswered. This can be so discouraging and often can leave us wondering if God is actually listening to our prayers in the first place.
We read repeatedly throughout the Scriptures that God promises to hear our prayers, but we often forget to notice or accept the Scriptures which speak about the terms and conditions of our prayers. There are a few reasons why our prayers may not be answered.
1. This may sound obvious, but maybe you haven’t asked, James 4:2.
I know this is obvious, but there are times when God actually wants us to speak to Him and specifically ask Him. Yes, God knows what we’re going to say before we actually say it, but we must ask Him, we must verbalise our request to Him. This could be a reason why God doesn’t answer our prayers, simply because we don’t ask.
2. Intentional sinning, Psalm 66:18 / James 4:3.
Let’s be honest, we all sin, and we all struggle with it, but there’s a massive difference between struggling with sin and intentionally getting involved with it. If you’re a lover of money, for example, and you’re praying for God to help you with your finances, but in your heart, you want to use those finances for your own selfish reasons.
This may be a reason why your prayers aren’t being answered. If we pray for anything which will encourage us to sin more and love sin more, then we can be sure those prayers won’t be answered.
3. All mouth and no ears, Matthew 13:14-15.
Some people really have a problem listening; all they seem to do is talk, at times they actually talk at you rather than with you. As Christians, God’s Word should be on our minds all the time, and when we read His Word, we need to listen to what He has to say to us.
Sometimes we get so focused on how we think God should answer our prayer that we miss how He is actually answering our prayer. Think about it, it’s pretty difficult to know what God is saying if we neglect to read His Word.
He speaks to us through Bible studies, sermons, and the songs we sing, but if you aren’t around when these things happen, how can you know what God is saying? These are the ways God regularly speaks to us, and maybe God has already answered your prayer, but you haven’t listened for the answer.
4. Lack of faith, John 14:6 / John 14:12-14.
Although these words of Jesus are directly spoken to the apostles, we can learn some basic principles from His words. Since Jesus is the Way, we learn that it’s only through Jesus Christ that we have access to the Father.
Notice we have access to the Father; we’re not praying to some unknown God who’s out of reach. He’s our Father, and Jesus asks us to pray in His name. Maybe some prayers aren’t being answered because they aren’t prayed in Jesus’ Name.
5. My will, not Thy will, Matthew 6:10 / 1 John 5:14-15.
Let’s be honest, sometimes we pray for the wrong things. Even though it may be unintentional, we often ask for things that will increase our comfort and could harm our relationship with the Lord.
That new job might pay more money and help us to better provide for our family, but it may require us to work extra hours, which could cut into our family time. The increased earnings and security could also cause us to rely less on God, thinking that we’re in total control of our lives.
How do we know what God’s will is? We read His Word, and we speak to mature Christians. We know that God wants us to grow as Christians, so praying for our own spiritual growth is in accordance with His will. We know that He hates sin, and so praying for Him to give you the strength to stop sinning is in accordance with His will.
Praying in accordance with God’s will is about requesting things in prayer which are in tune with what God wants for us, things that God knows will help us, encourage us, and strengthen us.
Maybe the reason our prayers don’t get answered is that we’re praying for our greeds instead of our needs. Maybe the things we’re asking for may harm us in some way or tempt us to leave God, maybe we’re praying that our will, will be done and not His.
What about if you plan to get a new job and three jobs are offered to you, which one do you take? If you choose one job over the other two, how do you know if this is God’s will?
The truth is, you don’t know, half the time we choose the direction we want to go in anyway because that’s the direction we really want to go in, and then we try and justify the decision by saying ‘this was God’s will’, but if things go wrong, we say, ‘maybe this wasn’t God’s will’. We need to understand that God will always let us make the decision, but will bless our decision if we’re still putting Him first in our lives.
6. Be patient, Psalm 13:1-2 / Revelation 6:10-11.
Ah, patience, there’s a word we don’t like sometimes, especially in today’s society, where everything is at the push of a button, fast food, and we want everything now. There are times when we pray, and they seem to go unanswered, but we need to trust that God may well be working on it, but the time isn’t right, ‘right now’.
Just because there’s no immediate answer to our prayers doesn’t mean that God isn’t listening and working on it and preparing you in some way or others around you.
God has a plan for each of us, but it will happen on his timetable, not ours. As Christians, we need to admit that we don’t see the big picture as God does, and He always knows what’s best for us and for those around us. He also has a plan for our lives, and that often involves doing things that we’d rather not do, Luke 22:42.
When we pray, it’s important to remember that God loves us, and He knows what we need more than we do. He knows our heart’s desires, and He knows our best interests, but we should also remember that He isn’t some kind of fast food restaurant, where we put our orders in, and He keeps dishing our prayer requests out.
We should never stop asking, but at the same time, we should always be open to His answer. Look at Jesus’ prayer on the night before He died. He prayed for His needs, but was open to the answer. Although it’s difficult to accept, we need to trust that God always has a reason for saying ‘no’ to our requests.