Read: Psalm 107:4-9 For he satisfies the longing soul. (v. 9) The Irish rock band U2 had a hit in 1987 with the song “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” It labels the soul-searching despair for meaning that so many know too well. The redeemed in our verses today knew both the longing of that quest and the quenching of their thirst in God. It reminds me of Augustine’s famous words, “Our heart is restless until it rests …
Who Are the Redeemed?
Read: Psalm 107:1-3 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. (v. 2) Harvest season brings prayers of thanksgiving. These prayers often focus on the what of thanksgiving: harvest, health, family, etc. Psalm 107 affirms the what but emphasizes the who of thanksgiving. Who were those called to “give thanks to the Lord” (v. 1)? They were “the redeemed of the Lord” (v. 2). The redeemed of Psalm 107 came from all kinds of trouble, but they had two things …
Mary at the Cross
Read: John 19:25-27 But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. (v. 25) They say it is the worst thing a mother can endure—to watch her child die. Mary, whose life had been dedicated to keeping Jesus safe and alive in this world, must now watch him die for the world. “A sword will pierce through your own soul also,” said Simeon all those years ago …
Woman at the Well
Read: John 4:7-30 Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ? (v. 29) “They say she can’t keep a husband.” “They say she’s not even married to the man she’s got now.” “Best to stay far away from that one.” The woman at the well was not, shall we say, well-connected in her community. There was a reason she was alone at the well in the middle of the day. There …
Mary and Martha
Read: John 11:17-44 Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. (v. 32) Again in this passage, Jesus was the one journeying—this time to the home of Mary and Martha. These women were in a wilderness of dashed hopes, as their Rabbi had failed to show up in time to heal their brother before he died. They waited for Jesus to come as their brother’s condition got worse and worse. They waited for him to come …
Syrophoenician Woman
Read: Mark 7:24-30 . . . yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs. (v. 28) The Syrophoenician woman was not on a journey. Jesus was the one journeying this time—he came straight to her hometown. However, this woman was experiencing a wilderness of despair. Her daughter had been overcome by demons. The desperate mother marched into the home where Jesus was staying and begged him to attend to her daughter. In response to her desperation, Jesus …