Who is Writing Your Story?
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“He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and He guided them to their desired haven.” Psalm 107:29-30 (NIV)
We all have a story. I may not know you, but I know this much about you. You have a story too. We can choose to try to write our own story, or we can give the pen to God and yield our lives to Him letting Him write it. When he writes our story, it is illustrated in ways that reveal His goodness, grace, provision and power. He shapes our lives for the purpose for which He made us, and we experience the sheer adventure of His saving life fulfilling His purpose. That’s why this Psalm opens with the charge in verse two: “Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story— those He redeemed from the hand of the foe.”
Who is writing your story? Psalm 107 describes five different stories of people in distress and how God rescued them. The common theme in each story is one of redemption! We can all find ourselves in at least one of these stories.
1. The wanderers who have lost their way (Verses 4-9)
“Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for mankind, for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”
2. The prisoners who lost their freedom (Verses 10-16)
“Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains, because they rebelled against God’s commands and despised the plans of the Most High. So He subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for mankind, for He breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.”
3. The distressed who lost their health (Verses 17-22)
“Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He sent out His word and healed them; He rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for mankind. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of His works with songs of joy.”
4. The hopeless that lost their courage (Verses 23-32)
“Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. They saw the works of the LORD, His wonderful deeds in the deep. For He spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. They reeled and staggered like drunkards; they were at their wits’ end. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and He guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for mankind. Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people and praise Him in the council of the elders.”
5. The homeless who lost their land (Verses 33-43)
“He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground, and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there. He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs; there He brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle. They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; He blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and He did not let their herds diminish. Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled by oppression, calamity, and sorrow; He who pours contempt on nobles made them wander in a trackless waste. But He lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks. The upright see and rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths. Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the LORD.”
In every story, no matter how extreme the distress, God is able to redeem it when we give Him the pen of our lives and let Him write it. In most of our stories we get into trouble by our own unwise decisions and selfish choices, but in verses 23 through 32, the people didn’t cause the storm that almost drowned them. The Psalmist said, “He (God) spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths. …” (Verses 25-26a) In one of the most powerful descriptions of a storm at sea to be found anywhere, the crew became hopeless and lost all courage. The Psalmist says, “… in their peril their courage melted away. They reeled and staggered like drunkards; they were at their wits’ end.” (Verses 26b-27)
What do you do when you’re in a storm like that? A storm not of your own making, but one nonetheless threatening your very life! If you’re wise, you’ll do what these sailors did. Verse 28a says, “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble. …” and before the verse is over it says, “… and He (God) brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.” (Verses 28b-29)
Verse 30 tells us that God not only stilled the storm, but He guided them safely back to harbor! I love the way the New International Version puts it, “They were glad when it grew calm, and He guided them to their desired haven.”
Storms come in every life. It’s part of all our stories. Each story described in this chapter needed God’s help, either because of their own sin and rebellion or because of circumstances beyond their control that God permitted. Yet whenever they called on the Lord and gave Him the pen, He was able to write the final chapter and it was one of redemption! There were no hopeless situations, nothing too difficult, or too far gone for God to deliver. With God all things are possible. We just need to give Him the pen and let Him write our story.