2018 Weekly Devotional - Week 45

Week 45

Psalm 107:4-9   “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,whom he has redeemed from trouble[a]3 and gathered in from the lands,  from the east and from the west,  from the north and from the south.4 Some wandered in desert wastes,  finding no way to a city to dwell in; 5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them 6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,  and he delivered them from their distress 7 He led them by a straight way  till they reached a city to dwell in 8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man 9 For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.”

    Growing up in a rural environment meant not having any city or county services when it came to garbage. Our two choices were to burn our trash or take it to the county dump. Since there was always something along with the weekly trash that needed to be disposed of, regular trips to the dump were to be anticipated. We had an old pickup truck bed that was converted to a trailer and we put junk and trash in it until it was time to go to the dump. My brother and I anticipated these trips for several reasons. First, we got to ride in the trailer to the dump. You read that correctly. Two pre-teen boys in cut off shorts with no shirt and last year’s baseball cleats riding down the road in a trailer filled with trash. Let’s just say times were different back then. Second, we got to explore the dump. You read that correctly too. Old tools, green glass insulators, and soda bottles we could redeem were all targets of opportunity at the dump. But the most anticipated part of going to the dump was stopping to get lunch. After a hard morning of dumping trash and exploration, two boys tend to get hungry, so our father would provide a banquet. Located across the street from the Solms bowling alley and next to Friesenhahn’s small engine repair was Heitkamp’s. A combination pool hall, general store, and meat market, Heitkamp’s had it all. First stop was the ice box for a 25 cent Frostie root beer. Next stop was the meat market cooler for a big slab of bologna and a thick slice of rat cheese. You read that correctly as well! Bologna and cheese may not sound like much to you, but to me and my brother Ricky it was awesome! Sitting in the now empty trailer and opening our butcher paper wrapped lunch as we trundled home is still a fantastic memory. Thirst quenched, and hunger satisfied, we were grateful.

    Our text today teaches us about the providential care of God for his people. God’s people are exhorted to give thanks to God for his provision. The redeemed of the Lord are to verbally acknowledge their redemption! When the people of God were distressed, wandering in a wasteland, and in need of sustenance, God intervened on their behalf. Hungry and thirsty, God met their need supernaturally with manna from heaven and water from the rock for forty years! The Psalmist states in verse 9 that God satisfies the longing soul and the hungry soul he fills with good things. Did you notice the shift from the physical to the spiritual? Now what is being satisfied is the soul. To be sure God meets our physical needs but he also meets the highest needs of our eternal soul. Jesus told the woman at the well that if she were to drink of the water he supplied she would be forever spiritually satisfied. He later told a crowd of sceptics in the town of Capernaum that he was the true bread that the Father sent from heaven. In Jesus, we have our spiritual appetites forever satisfied. We are told that those that hunger and thirst for righteousness, a right standing before God personally, will be satisfied. And so we say, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,…For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.”

In Christ,

John