Are you realizing God's great love? (Ps. 107:43)

Are you realizing God's great love?

“Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things, And consider the lovingkindnesses of the LORD.” (Psalms 107:43)

Are you realizing God's great love in the midst of suffering? How can we realize God's great love when we are in pain?

In order for us to realize God's great love in suffering, we must have the wisdom of God. When we have the wisdom of God, we give heed to “these things” (Ps .107:43). And when we give heed to the wonders of the Lord (vv. 8, 15, 21, 31), we can realize God's great love even in suffering. What are the wonders of the Lord that we need give attention to?

First, the wonders of the Lord is to humble our hearts with labor.

Look at Psalms 107:12a – “Therefore He humbled their heart with labor ….” Why is God giving us labor? The reason is because we rebel against the words of God and spurn His counsel (v. 11). As a result, God makes us to dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death, and makes us to be prisoners in misery and chains (v. 10). Even at this time, we must realize God's great love through His wonders. The great love of God that we must realize is His wonders who humbles us even through such labor. If we can only be humble through labor, we should be willing to appreciate it and rejoice. And we must realize God's great love for us through His wonders.

Second, the wonders of the Lord is to make us to have no helper.

Look at Psalms 107:12b – “… They stumbled and there was none to help.” When we are laboring, we want to ask someone for help. Especially the more severe our bitter labor, the more we desperately need someone's help. But the Bible says that God makes no one to help us even if we stumble. Why does God do this? How is this the wonder of the Lord? How can we feel God's great love through this? God not only makes us realize that our help is not within us (Job 6:13), but also makes us realize that the help of man is in vain and useless (Isa. 30:7). Therefore, God makes us realize that our help is only God: “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth” (Ps. 121:1-2). Through this wonder of the Lord, we must realize God's great love.

Third, the wonders of the Lord is to send His word and heal us.

Look at Psalms 107:20 – “He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.” God humbles us when we are in pain and disciplined for our sins. Also He makes us look only to the Lord humbly because there is none to help us. And God sends us His word. That is, God's discipline leads us into the wilderness, and God's love speaks tenderly to our hearts in that wilderness (Hos 2:14). That word is the word that heals us (Ps. 107:20). It is the word that exposes our sins and makes us rely on Jesus on the cross and His blood. It is the word that makes us repent of our sins and gives us the assurance of forgiveness. Because of that word, we first receive healing for our inner person. And when we are healed, we experience God's great love because of His word. This is His wonder, and through it we must realize God's great love for us.

Fourth, the wonders of the Lord is to cause the storm of our lives to be still.

Look at Psalms 107:29 – “He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed.” Our God is the God who gives us a great storm when we disobey His commands (Jonah 1:4). Then God makes the sea increasingly stormy (v. 11) and makes us confess our sins (v. 10). At that time, if we throw ourselves into the sea of the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross, the sea will stop its raging (v. 15). In order word, God causes the storm of our lives to be still (Ps. 107:29). God calms the ocean of our stormy hearts. God gives peace in our hearts. This is the wonder of the Lord, and we must realize God's great love for us. God calms our hearts that are like a stormy sea. God gives peace to our hearts. This is the miracle of the Lord, and we must realize God's great love for us.

Fifth, the wonders of the Lord is that when we cry out to God in our trouble, He hears our prayers and delivers us out of our distresses.

Look at Psalms 107:6, 13, 19, 29 – “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He delivered them out of their distresses. … Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. … Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. … Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses.” The wonders of the Lord is that God not only heals our inner beings, but also delivers us from our distresses. When we cry out to God in distresses, God listens to our prayers and delivers us from our distresses. Although hearing the prayers of sinners like us is the wonders of the Lord, God also answers our prayers and delivers us from the wilderness and from darkness and hardship. When we experience this saving grace, we cannot but be grateful for God's great love. We cannot but confess that “God is salvation” (the meaning of the name “Jesus”). This is the wonders of the Lord, and we must realize God's great love for us.

Sixth, the wonders of the Lord is that He leads us by a straight way.

Look at Psalms 107:7 – “He led them also by a straight way, To go to an inhabited city.” Our God saved us from the kingdom of Satan like Egypt and led us in this wilderness-like world, and now leading us to the true land of Canaan, that is heaven. Of course, we as God’s flock must hear and obey the voice of our Shepherd and our Lord (Cf.: Jn. 10). But there are times in this wilderness-like world that we not only turn left or right, but also wander (Ps .107: 4). At that time, our Shepherd and our Lord comforts us and guides us with His rod and His staff (23:4). Therefore, we no longer walk in Satan's crooked path, but in the right path. This is the wonders of the Lord, and through these wonders we must realize the great love of God..

Seventh, the wonders of the Lord is to satisfy our longing souls and to fill the hungry souls with what is good.

Look at Psalms 107:9 – “For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.” God leads us into the wilderness and makes us needy. He makes our souls hungry. And God gives our hungry souls to long for God and also to long for His word (Cf.: Deut. 8:2-3). And God gives us understanding by His Word, making us realize that there is no one else on earth to long for except the Lord (Ps. 73:25). The reason is because God wants us to live with satisfaction (contentment) with only the Lord. This is the wonders of the Lord, and through the wonders we must realize the great love of God for us.

Eighth, the wonders of the Lord is to give us true freedom.

Look at Psalms 107:14 – “He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death And broke their bands apart.” The God of truth is the God who sets us free (Cf.: Jn. 8:32). God is the God who sets our inner person first free from sin and frees our outer man from distresses. The reason is because God knows that it is a bigger problem to be slaves to sin by being bound by the chains of sin than to suffering from the chains of the flesh. However, many times we suffer in the chains of our flesh. But we don’t realize how much the chains of sin is big problem to ourselves. And we often don't even realize the cause of why we suffer in physical chains. Although God wants us to realize the great difference between being slaves of righteousness and slaves to sin by being suffered in the chains of the flesh, there are countless times we don’t realize the wonders of God because we are foolish. Therefore, we must ask God for wisdom (Jam. 1:5). And we must give heed to the wonders of God with the wisdom God gives us (Ps. 107:43). And we must realize the great love of God who frees us from sin and from the chains of the flesh.

Ninth, the wonders of the Lord is to guide us to our desired heaven.

Look at Psalms 107:30 – “Then they were glad because they were quiet, So He guided them to their desired haven.” God calms the storms of our lives and guides us to our desired heaven. The Lord Himself has been our Captain and continues to guide us to that heaven. Even though we may seem far and tough, I hope and pray that we can reach that heaven so that we may be able to see the Lord face to face.

Tenth and last, the wonders of the Lord is to make us praise God.

Look at Psalms 107:8, 15, 21, 31-32: “Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! … Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! … Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! … Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! Let them extol Him also in the congregation of the people, And praise Him at the seat of the elders.” In the end, God makes us to praise God because of His great love and because the wonders that He has done in our lives. When I think about God who humbles us with suffering, I remember the third lyrics of the hymn “Out of My Bondage, Sorrow and night”: “Out of unrest and arrogant pride, Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come; Into Thy blessed will to abide. Jesus, I come to Thee; Out of myself to dwell in Thy love, Out of despair into rapture above, Upward for aye on wings like a dove, Jesus, I come to Thee.” When I think about God, who makes us have no helper, the first lyric of the hymn “My Lord to Thee I Cry”: “Jesus, my Lord to Thee I cry; Unless Thou help me I must die: Oh, bring Thy free salvation nigh, And take me as I am.” When I think about God who sends the Word to us and healed us, the third lyric and the chorus of the hymn “Sing Them Over Again to Me”: “Sweetly echo the gospel call, Wonderful words of life; Offer pardon and peace to all, Wonderful words of life; Jesus, only Savior, Sanctify forever: Beautiful words, Wonderful words, Wonderful words of life. Beautiful words, Wonderful words, Wonderful words of life.” When I think about God who calms the storms of our lives, I remembered the third lyric of the hymn “With Christ as My Pilot”: “If Jesus but speak, in His voice of great pow'r, The billows must sleep and be still from that hour, And I, at the brightness of dawning, shall be, With Jesus, my Pilot, safe over the sea. I nothing can fear! I nothing can dread!” When I think about God who hears our cry out in distresses and delivers us from our distressed circumstances, I remember the third lyric and the chorus of the hymn “My Soul in Sad Exile”: “The song of my soul, since the Lord made me whole, Has been the old story so blest, Of Jesus who'll save whosoever will have; A home in the ‘Haven of Rest.’ I've anchored my soul in the ‘Haven of Rest,’ I'll sail the wide seas no more; The tempest may sweep o'er the wild stormy deep; In Jesus I'm safe ever-more.” When I think about God who is leading us on the right path, the fourth lyric and the chorus of the hymn “Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us” came to my mind: “Early let us seek Thy favor, Early let us do Thy will; Blessed Lord and only Savior, With Thy love our bosoms fill. Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! Thou hast loved us, love us still; Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! Thou hast loved us, love us still.” When I think about God who satisfies our longing souls and supplies good things to our hungry souls, the third lyric and the chorus of the hymn “I’d Rather Have Jesus” came to my mind: “He's fairer than lilies of rarest bloom; He's sweeter than honey from out the comb; He's all that my hungering spirit needs, I'd rather have Jesus and let Him lead; Than to be the king of a vast do-main; Or be held in sin's dread sway. I'd rather have Jesus than anything This world affords today.” When I think about God who gives us true freedom, the first lyrics of the gospel song ‘I am Free’ came to mind: ‘I am free, you are free, we are free (2x); The Lord says the chains are broken, we've are free Hallelujah; I am free, you are free, we are free.’ When I think about God who is leading us to the harbor of heaven, it reminds me the chorus of the hymn “With Christ as My Pilot”: “I nothing can fear! I nothing can dread! For Jesus keeps watch here, and by Him I'm led. My seas may be rough, but when voy'ges are past, My haven of hope will be heaven at last.” As we realize God's great love for us by giving His wonders, we are compelled to praise the hymn “O Lord my God! When I in Awesome Wonder”:

O, Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power through out the universe displayed,

When through the woods and forest glades I wander And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;

When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing, Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;

That on the cross my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin;

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!

Then i shall bow in humble adoration And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!

[Chorus]

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

Praise the Lord, O my soul,

James Kim

(With gratitude for God’s great love)