Difficult days encourage the people of God to look to the Lord. Our faith and hope are in the Lord Jesus Christ, so it is right and good that we depend upon Him. Sometimes when life goes well from day to day, we become content with the ordinary. All is well – as we plod along in our normal routines. And then, without warning – suddenly, life changes. In our present situation, the Coronavirus interrupted our personal lives and impacted the whole world. Some are sick, many more are worried, and everyone is concerned. What has happened to us?
Once again, when answering difficult questions, it is best to look to the Bible. If we are to understand what is happening to us, then we should remember that God never changes. The way He dealt with people in the past is the same way He deals with His people today. For example, take a good look at Psalm 107. Read it through – and notice the five sections of the psalm.
1st section verses 1-7 deliverance in the wilderness
2nd section verses 8-14 deliverance from bondage and chains
3rd section verses 15-20 deliverance from sickness and trouble
4th section verses 21-30 deliverance of sailors from the troubled sea
5th section verses 31-43 deliverance of people in the land
This psalm draws attention to the LORD who redeems His people from their distress. It is the LORD God who delivered His people from wilderness wanderings, from bondage in irons, from sickness and affliction, and sailors from storms at sea. It is the LORD God who sets His people free from the afflictions of life. Notice in the psalm that the God who delivers is also the God who brings trials and testings in the first place. This should cause us to pause and think – why would God bring afflictions only to resolve them and relieve His people? The answer to that question is given in the prelude to all five sections of this psalm. The LORD wants us to witness His love for us so that we will worship Him.
The opening statement is a call to worship the LORD.
verse 1 – “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
His mercy (HESED) endures forever.”
The LORD is to be praised for His nature. “He is good” (kind, morally right) and His “mercy” endures forever. The word “mercy” in Hebrew is the word HESED. This word can be interpreted as “love, lovingkindness, loyal love, goodness, kindness” – with a forever emphasis of covenant faithfulness. We worship the LORD because He is always good, and His eternal love never fails. God is always the perfect expression of His perfect character – here, of His goodness and loyal love.
Then, in the following four sections, the psalmist continues to emphasize the LORD’s loyal love. He speaks of the LORD’s “goodness” (HESED) in four identical statements.
verses 8, 15, 21, 31 – “Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness (HESED),
and for His wonderful works to the children of men.”
In these four verses, the Hebrew word HESED appears again, translated as “goodness”. God manifested His loyal love in the way He redeemed His people and was so good to them. In the wilderness, in bonds, in sickness, and at sea, the LORD acted as the faithful Redeemer. All of the LORD’s wonderful works to the children of men are traceable to the LORD’s “goodness” – His loyal love (HESED).
God’s love never fails. Sometimes the Lord afflicts before He delivers. You can observe in this psalm that it is the same God who “turns rivers into a wilderness, and water springs into dry ground” (33) – who then “turns a wilderness into pools of water, and dry land into water springs” (35). God brings trials and testings in order to display His redeeming love. He does this so that we might see His mighty hand and praise His holy name. God loves to display His love for His glory and for our good.
Finally, observe the closing remarks of the psalm.
“The righteous see it and rejoice, and all iniquity stops its mouth.
Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand
the lovingkindness (HESED) of the LORD” (42-43).
And, who might these righteous observers be? Well, today, that would be us – the people of God. We see the lovingkindness of the Lord and rejoice. It is amazing that God loves us so much that He wants us to taste and see His redeeming love again and again.
We will never delight in trials and tribulations. We never like it when we encounter affliction. No one ever does! Who would delight in the presence of the Coronavirus? But God, in His infinite wisdom, sometimes manifests His loyal love in special ways for His people to see. He continually reminds us of our absolute dependence upon Him for everything pertaining to life and godliness. Living by faith is living in light of the love of God. He is love. He is in control. He moves all things according to the counsel of His own will. We are to see His power and His provision and marvel at His goodness and lovingkindness. He sometimes covers us in darkness that He might shine anew the light of His presence – and of His loyal love (HESED).
In the political sphere, there was a Palestinian leader who rejected every proposal for Middle Eastern peace. It was said of him, “He never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” It was one blunder after another! When we live by faith, let us not miss an opportunity to see the lovingkindness of the Lord in our daily lives. His love never fails. “Oh, give thinks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy (HESED) endures forever” (Psalm 107:1). And when we witness the love of God, let us worship the LORD of loyal love for the many ways He provides for us.