Nothing in his life had prepared him for things to turn out right. When they did, he was pleased, when they did not, he was ready.”
–Louis L’Amour (The Quick and the Dead)
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”
–John 16:7 (NKJV)
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Why are you suffering? Is it that God is disciplining you because of sin, or perhaps it is just life? Maybe, upon chance, God is using you to thwart the plans of Satan, to use you as an example as He did Job. It is important to check out the possible causes, but remember that “hardship is not always the evidence of disobedience” (George Wood). Keep those thoughts in mind as we finish the final portion of Psalm 107.
33 — He turns rivers into wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground;
34 — A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
35 — He turns a wilderness into pools of water, and dry land into watersprings.
36 — There He makes the hungry dwell, that they may establish a city for a dwelling place,
37 — And sow fields and plant vineyards, that they may yield a fruitful harvest.
38 — He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly; and He does not let their cattle decrease.
39 — When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, affliction and sorrow,
40 — He pours contempt on princes, and causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;
41 — Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction, and makes their families like a flock.
42 — The righteous see it and rejoice, and all iniquity stops its mouth.
43 — Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD. (NKJV)
Why do bad things happen to good people? I don’t have the complete answer, but it may just be that they are “along for the ride” of God’s punishment because of the wickedness of the people. When the storms come they will come upon the wicked and the righteous alike. There were righteous people in Judah when the Chaldeans came to destroy the city and take the people captive among them Jeremiah and Daniel. They became victims along with those who caused the invasion from the hand of God. My wife and I watched recently the old version of “The Hiding Place.” A Christian family, the Ten Booms, faced the onslaught of fascism and went to the concentration camps where they died except Corrie.
However, God’s discipline is only for a season. When His people cry out He restores them. When the righteous suffer, God will call their oppressors into account. God will bring punishment upon them. (Lawson) And here I’ll bring a little sidenote: ponder verse 40. Those who have made themselves “princes.” That means all those who set themselves above God, refuse His guidance, commandments, and counsels, He will cause them to “wander in the wilderness where there is no way.” Those who do right in their own eyes are thinking that they are princes and kings of their lives, but will find themselves lost…wandering.
Psalm 107, was the psalm read by William Bradford when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. He used it to describe their plight prior to coming ashore, then he read the climax of the psalm–verses 42 and 43. In all things, loss and gain, good and bad, we can learn something of the goodness of God. F.B. Meyer wrote, “Love broods over the weary caravan that faints in the desert; visits the prison house with its captives; watches by our beds of pain; notices each lurch of the tempest-driven vessel; brings the weary hosts from the wilderness into the fruitful soil. Detected everywhere is the loving-kindness of the Lord.”
Go back and reread the complete psalm, then consider the prayer of George O. Wood, “I’m considering Your great love for me today, Lord, and I admit it’s way over my head. You heard my cry when I was lonely, trapped, sick, and in a storm. My unworthiness didn’t stop You for a moment. You, who touch untouchables, also took firm hold on me and I thank You.”
“My times of sorrow and of joy,
Great God, are in your hand;
My choicest comforts come from you
And go at your command.
If you would take them all away,
And all my world be gone,
I’d still seek lasting happiness
In you and you alone.”
–Benjamin Beddome
—————————–
Why are you suffering? Is it that God is disciplining you because of sin, or perhaps it is just life? Maybe, upon chance, God is using you to thwart the plans of Satan, to use you as an example as He did Job. It is important to check out the possible causes, but remember that “hardship is not always the evidence of disobedience” (George Wood). Keep those thoughts in mind as we finish the final portion of Psalm 107.
33 — He turns rivers into wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground;
34 — A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
35 — He turns a wilderness into pools of water, and dry land into watersprings.
36 — There He makes the hungry dwell, that they may establish a city for a dwelling place,
37 — And sow fields and plant vineyards, that they may yield a fruitful harvest.
38 — He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly; and He does not let their cattle decrease.
39 — When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, affliction and sorrow,
40 — He pours contempt on princes, and causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;
41 — Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction, and makes their families like a flock.
42 — The righteous see it and rejoice, and all iniquity stops its mouth.
43 — Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD. (NKJV)
Why do bad things happen to good people? I don’t have the complete answer, but it may just be that they are “along for the ride” of God’s punishment because of the wickedness of the people. When the storms come they will come upon the wicked and the righteous alike. There were righteous people in Judah when the Chaldeans came to destroy the city and take the people captive among them Jeremiah and Daniel. They became victims along with those who caused the invasion from the hand of God. My wife and I watched recently the old version of “The Hiding Place.” A Christian family, the Ten Booms, faced the onslaught of fascism and went to the concentration camps where they died except Corrie.
However, God’s discipline is only for a season. When His people cry out He restores them. When the righteous suffer, God will call their oppressors into account. God will bring punishment upon them. (Lawson) And here I’ll bring a little sidenote: ponder verse 40. Those who have made themselves “princes.” That means all those who set themselves above God, refuse His guidance, commandments, and counsels, He will cause them to “wander in the wilderness where there is no way.” Those who do right in their own eyes are thinking that they are princes and kings of their lives, but will find themselves lost…wandering.
Psalm 107, was the psalm read by William Bradford when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. He used it to describe their plight prior to coming ashore, then he read the climax of the psalm–verses 42 and 43. In all things, loss and gain, good and bad, we can learn something of the goodness of God. F.B. Meyer wrote, “Love broods over the weary caravan that faints in the desert; visits the prison house with its captives; watches by our beds of pain; notices each lurch of the tempest-driven vessel; brings the weary hosts from the wilderness into the fruitful soil. Detected everywhere is the loving-kindness of the Lord.”
Go back and reread the complete psalm, then consider the prayer of George O. Wood, “I’m considering Your great love for me today, Lord, and I admit it’s way over my head. You heard my cry when I was lonely, trapped, sick, and in a storm. My unworthiness didn’t stop You for a moment. You, who touch untouchables, also took firm hold on me and I thank You.”
“My times of sorrow and of joy,
Great God, are in your hand;
My choicest comforts come from you
And go at your command.
If you would take them all away,
And all my world be gone,
I’d still seek lasting happiness
In you and you alone.”
–Benjamin Beddome