Convinced of God’s Lovingkindness – Psalm 107:23-43

“Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters, they see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. For He commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea. They mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the depths, their soul melts because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, so that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet. So, He guides them to their desired haven.” Psalm 107:23-30

Our Lord Jesus Christ literally fulfilled this prophecy in Mark 4:35-41.

Jesus and His disciples were in a boat on the sea of Galilee when “a furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.” Their boat was mounting up on waves and then descending into the sea so that their souls were melting. They reeled to and fro, and staggered like drunken men on that boat. They were at their wits’ end. They cried out to Jesus who was asleep on the boat. Jesus stood up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. “The disciples were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’”

Psalm 107:29 says that the Lord calms the storm and its waves are still. God does it. Thus, the divine nature of Christ is revealed in Mark 4:35-41.

There is a saying: “Let those who would learn to pray go to sea” meaning that a life-threatening storm at sea will help you to start praying. [1]

In fact, it is good to do as Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” God welcomes continuous prayers from us. We can commit everything we do to God by simply saying or thinking inside our mind, “Lord Jesus, please be with me as I... [fill in the blank]. Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.”

We don’t have to verbalize every prayer we pray because God hears our thoughts. It is good to verbally profess prayers to God, but, sometimes, when I am in a conversation with someone, I am also praying in my mind and asking God to guide my understanding of what they are saying and how I should respond to what they have said. The Lord answers the prayers that I pray in my mind to Him. Such prayers prayed in my mind coincide with what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:16, “We have the mind of Christ.”

The Holy Spirit reminds me when I am at my wits’ end to ask God for help and He gives me blessed assurance that God will come through for me.

“O, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people and praise Him in the company of the elders.” Psalm 107:31-32

It is commendable and proper to respond to God’s assistance with gratitude and praise. We should thank Him privately in our homes and publicly among fellow believers. [2]

“He turns rivers into a wilderness, and the water springs into dry ground; a fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of those who dwell in it.” Psalm 107:33-34

God can cause well-watered regions to become wildernesses that are dry and barren. According to Genesis 13:10, Sodom was once like the garden of the Lord. However, after the inhabitants committed themselves to devilish behavior, God turned it into a salty wasteland. [3]

In fact, in Deuteronomy 29:19, Moses prophesied that if a person began to say, “I will have peace, even though I follow the dictates of my own heart” the Lord would not spare him. He said that every curse that is written in this book would settle on him, and the Lord would blot out his name from under heaven. He promised that the whole land would burn with brimstone, salt, and fire like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah. [4]

In Revelation 20:15, it is written, “Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” So, this curse is not just on the land of those who serve Satan, it is also on the souls of such individuals. Such a soul should repent and turn to God.

The earth suffers when people turn away from God. When people fail to produce the spiritual fruit that God desires, He stops blessing the land from which they derive their physical fruit. [5]

“He turns a wilderness into pools of water, and dry land into water springs. There He makes the hungry dwell, that they may establish a city for a dwelling place, and sow fields and plant vineyards, that they may yield a fruitful harvest. He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly, and He does not let their cattle decrease.” Psalm 107:35-38

The Lord can also upgrade families and individuals from poverty to prosperity. Throughout the world we see people whose humble beginnings gave little indication of their future success. [6]

For example, at one point in his life, King David was an unknown shepherd boy. His older brother spoke poorly of him. Later, his father-in-law tried to kill him. His first wife left him. But the Lord’s anointing was on David. David believed the Word that God had spoken over him prophetically. God told him that he would be king of his nation, and it came to pass.

In Jeremiah 1:12, the Lord said to Jeremiah, “I will watch over My Word to perform it.” In 1 Timothy 4:14, the Lord said to Timothy via His servant Paul, “Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.”

The day that I was born again by God’s Spirit, Jesus told me that He would use my life to touch many people. I was poor in spirit. I grew up in a small town. I had few friends and no hope on the horizon. But sure enough, Jesus kept His promise to me. Soon, I was studying the Bible at a college far from my home in a big city. And after that, I ministered the Word of God in four different states that were far from my home state. Then, the Lord brought me to Hong Kong and China from 1985-1997. Since returning from China, I have resided and ministered the Word of God in nine states, and now, articles I published online have been read in 166 countries. The Lord gave me a new word recently. He said, “The lives you have touched will touch more lives.”

Praise God! God is good! His mercy endures forever.

“When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow, He pours contempt on princes, and causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way. Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction, and makes their families like a flock.” Psalm 107:39-41

Thanks be to God for all the proud and cruel “princes” that God has dethroned, and for all the poor people of goodwill that He has raised up to take their places.

God lifts the poor from the dust and sets them among the honorable, fulfilling what is declared in 1 Samuel 2:8 and Psalms 113:7-8. Those who were once oppressed are not only delivered but elevated beyond the reach of former troubles. He makes their households like flocks of sheep—numerous, productive, united, gentle, and peaceful. [7]

“The righteous see it and rejoice, and all iniquity stops its mouth.” Psalm 107:42

“All iniquity will stop its mouth.” God’s actions expose the folly of atheism and every denial of His providence. Since practical unbelief lies at the root of all sin, God’s judgments leave sinners without excuse. When they see that their punishment corresponds to their wrongdoing and that God has justly removed the blessings they abused, they will have no defense to offer. [8]

It comforts believers to see God directing human affairs according to His purposes, raising up virtue and bringing down pride. Such events confirm that God is actively working among us. [9]

“Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.” Psalm 107:43

How wonderful to be convinced of God’s lovingkindness, to experience it personally, and to be shaped by His love as Mary was in Luke 2:19. [10]


[1-10] Material developed and edited from Matthew Henry’s Commentary