He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. (Psalm 107:20)
I’m always curious to know what God thinks of us sometimes. We know the theologically correct phrases to spout and can quote verses like theologians do but whenever I reflect on my errors and witness the mistakes made by others, I am always awed by His grace to a great extent. Throughout Scripture, we see Israel messing up with idolatry and the modern day church implied by the prophets of old to be no better of. And yet, with each chastisement we see the light at the end of the tunnel and God bringing about closure… Only to have the cycle start over again. In the colloquial Hokkien dialect, we would say “Buay sian meh?” which comes to mean “aren’t you tired of going through this again?” In fact, the entire Psalm 107 is cyclical in its approach:
People get into or find themselves in trouble > Cry out to God > Deliverance > (repeat)
Particularly in verses 17-20, we read about iniquities of men. It was no circumstantial issue but one of pure foolishness and rebellion that led them to fall into that area. The key phrase for this entire Psalm can perhaps be best expressed as “yet God came”. Such is the grace of a father for His children. Knowing their stubborn refusal, their foolish thinking, their quirks and personalities, yet that fatherly agape love sent His word to heal them and to deliver them from (note plural) destructions. What or where have you fallen short today? He is inviting you to draw near and receive His grace. Grace is made perfect in weakness. It works its wonder for those who acknowledge their need for it. Draw near and find your breakthrough.