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A Year Held in His Hands| A New Year Sermon

By Ekombe Hau -
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A Year Held in His Hands| A New Year Sermon Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash Every time a new year comes close, something in me start feeling that weird mix of excitement and heaviness. Maybe you know the feeling too—like you’re standing at this invisible doorway. One foot in the old year (the stuff you want to forget but somehow still sticks to you like stubborn glue), and the other foot stepping into something you still can’t see clearly. And sometimes you’re hopeful, sometimes you’re scared, sometimes you’re… well, both at the same time. I was thinking about all that while reading some Scriptures again, and honestly, it hit me harder this year. Maybe because life been kinda loud lately, or maybe because I’m tired of pretending everything always makes sense. But the Bible does this thing, right? It sneaks into the parts of your heart you thought you cleaned up, and suddenly you realize God is trying to talk to you again. Even if it feels like you weren’t exactly listening. S...
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Psalm 107 – A Detailed Explanation

By Ekombe Hau -

 Psalm 107 – A Detailed Explanation


Introduction

Psalm 107 notices the beginning of the fifth and last book of psalms (book V: Psalms 107–150). This psalm is a mighty anthem of the Thanksgiving Festival that celebrates the continuing love of God and the Atonement power, especially in response to human stress. Psalm emphasizes the liberation of the God of his people from various dangers and promotes gratitude and thoughts about his amazing affairs.

Structure Overview

Psalm 107 is structured in a symmetrical and poetic pattern, consisting of:

  1. A Call to Give Thanks (vv. 1–3)

  2. Four Vignettes of Deliverance (vv. 4–32)

    • Wandering in the wilderness

    • Imprisonment and bondage

    • Affliction due to folly

    • Peril at sea

  3. A Concluding Reflection on God’s Sovereignty (vv. 33–42)

  4. A Final Exhortation to Consider God’s Lovingkindness (v. 43)

Each vignette follows a distinct cycle:

  • A description of distress

  • A cry to the Lord

  • Divine deliverance

  • A call to thank and praise God

Verses 1–3: The Call to Give Thanks

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” (v. 1)

This first line is a chorus in all psalms and in other places in the Old Testament (e.g. Psalm 136). He immediately focuses on the stable mercy of God (Hebrew: Chesed), a key topic.

Poems 2-3 contact the redeemed gentleman - those who have collected God "from the East and from the West, from the north and from the south". This probably applies to exile who return from Babylonian captivity, but it also indicates a broader, more universal discussion of God's people from all sides that reflects their global possession and mercy.

Verses 4–32: Four Portraits of Deliverance

These central narratives present vivid, metaphorical accounts of deliverance. Each story serves as a testimony to God's power and compassion, inviting the worshiper to identify with the scenarios.

1. The Wandering in the Wilderness (vv. 4–9)

“Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.” (vv. 4–5)

This scene is reminiscent of the desert that runs around the Israelis. He speaks of an existential search for a person according to the goal, community and existence.

according to the sample of the Lord (Article 6) lead them to security and satisfaction. This vignette emphasizes the role of God as a guide and supplier and leads the dead into the “city in order to be in the simulation of security and accessories.

"Because he satisfies the longing soul and the hungry soul, which he fills with good things." (Art. 9)

This is literally and symbolic: God meets the physical needs and deletes spiritual thirst.

2. The Prisoners in Darkness (vv. 10–16)

“Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons…” (v. 10)

These verses show people who suffer from slavery - perhaps literal prisoners or symbolize those who enslaved sin or uprising. Their suffering is described as a result of the rejection of the Council of God (Article 11), in which it is emphasized that disobedience can suffer, but even then God's mercy remains accessible.

"Then she called to the Lord in her problems and he delivered them ..." (Article 13)

He leads them out of the dark and "breaks their connections" - a strong picture of spiritual release and renewal.

3. The Sick and Afflicted (vv. 17–22)

“Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction…” (v. 17)

Here illness and suffering become a direct consequence of sin and repeat topics from proverbs. The victims are brought to the death of death (verse 18), but saved by the Word of God:

"He sent his word and healed them and saved them from their destruction." (Art. 20)

The Word of God brings both physical healing and spiritual restoration and demonstrates his sympathy, even if suffering is inflicted itself.

4. The Peril at Sea (vv. 23–32)

“Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters…” (v. 23)

This vignette speaks of seafarers that get into terrible storms - probably refers to the ancient Israeli experiences and possibly to the history of Jona. The sea is often chaos and uncontrolled danger in biblical pictures.

"They fluctuated and stumbled like drunk men and were in their joke." (Art. 27)

"He made the storm to remain motionless and the waves of the sea were silent." (V. 29)

This passage celebrates the sovereign control of God over nature and encourages the believers to trust him against the background of lives.

Verses 33–42: God's Sovereignty and Providence

The last section goes from telling stories to the theological reflection. This contrasts God's ability to transform all efforts and transform the rivers into deserts or deserts into fertile land (Article 33–35). This double power of the humble and hill shows that God is active in human affairs.

"He lifts those who need suffering and makes their family as a herd." (V. 41)

This is a picture of the restorative power of God: it brings plenty with a modest and overturns the evil (verse 40). These verses repeat the topics from Hannah's song (1 kingdoms 2) and Maria Maria (Lukas 1), both celebrate divine changes in human expectations.

Verse 43: Final Exhortation

“Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.”

The psalm ends with a call to wisdom and contemplation. Observing and reflecting on God's works and love is an act of spiritual insight. This final verse invites the listener to learn from the patterns of God’s dealings with His people and to trust in His faithful love.

Thematic Analysis

1. The Steadfast Love of the Lord (Hebrew: Chesed)

This expression removes the psalm. God's honest is his loyalty, valued love that extends, even when people fall into sin or danger. It is reliable, without exception and at least.

Each vignette emphasizes that not only an emotion, but also an active, saving force.

2. Redemption and Restoration

The psalm focuses on various forms of redemption:

  • Physical (food, safety, healing)

  • Social (release from bondage)

  • Spiritual (deliverance from sin and folly)

Psalm 107 reflects God's willingness to restore, especially when people cry out in humility.

3. Human Vulnerability and Divine Rescue

Every story shows different aspects of human need - trap, captivity, suffering, danger. Nevertheless, God reacts to sincere screams for help. This shows a deep theology of grace: not deserved, but given.

4. The Universality of God’s Mercy

The imagery spans every dimension—land, prison, sickness, sea—suggesting that no place is beyond God's reach. His mercy extends to all people and situations, from exile to everyday trials.

Historical and Liturgical Context

Psalm 107, probably the Post-Examan, which was intended for singing or reading by those who return from Babylonian captivity (see Article 3). Perhaps it was used at festivals such as Easter or Skinia when God's past were marked.

his repeating structure and abstinence - "Let them thank the Lord for his persistent love" - use the liturgical use, possibly antiphonal, with different groups or choirs that read every section.

Christological Connections

Although Psalm 107 is pre-Messinsky, he shows a significant relationship:
Jesus as a liberator: his service reflects all the pictures in Psalm 107-He heals patients, fills the oppressed, nourishes the hungry, calms down storms and collects lost.
Jesus and the sea: Mark 4: 35–41 repeats the marine vignette directly and shows Jesus as a gentlemen from creation - filling with Psalm 107:
Spiritual atonement: The language, the redeemed and released prisoner, finds the execution in the Gentel message (noisy message).

Applications for Today

The call for gratitude: A repeated call to the "Honor of the Lord" is used under all circumstances - our past, real and future depends on its mercy.
Hope for fighting: Psalm reminds us that it is not too scary for God. When we were mentally lost, connected, sick or stunned, God hears.
Promotion of the writer: Each vignette begins to turn when people scream to the Lord - a lesson in prayer and humility.
Reflection leads to wisdom: The last verse invites you to personal thoughts and asks us to look at our own journey and how God's love has repeatedly saved us.

Conclusion

Although Psalm 107 is pre-Mesian, it shows an important connection:

Jesus as a liberator: his service reflects all paintings in Psalm 107, he heals patients, fills the oppressed, nourishes the hungry, calms storms and collects lost.

Jesus and the sea: Mark 4: 35–41 repeats the marine vignette directly and shows Jesus as a gentlemen from creation - filling with Psalm 107:

Spiritual atonement: The language, the redeemed and released prisoner, finds the execution in the Gentel message (noisy message).

This psalm does more than the history of recalculation - it forms. This tells us that God is not far away. He is the liberator who is present in our pain and reacts to our screams and loyal to his love. The wise wise not only read it - they will live.

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