MONDAY 27th
Psalm 107
NIV (vv2-3) ‘Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story—those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.’
ESV (vv2-3) ‘Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.’
We return over the next few days to the Psalms, our psalm today, 107 is a psalm that is an exhortation first to the redeemed of the Lord to give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. The verse that I have chosen today says, ‘whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.’ Whatever application this psalm had when it was composed, it seems to also have a prophetic application, looking forward to the harvest of souls that will be the redeemed of the Lord as a result of Christ’s coming into this world to save sinners.
We have just gone through another advent season, where we have been reminded that Christ came into the world, and his purpose in coming was to save sinners, this would happen through his giving of himself at Calvary, so that his shed blood would ransom men and women, redeem us, and bring us to a position of reconciliation with God the Father. As a result of his atoning death, he has redeemed from all the four corners of the world, as the text says, redeemed from trouble, and gathered in from all the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. What an incredible harvest of souls, sinners that have been saved through faith by his amazing grace, and we see in John’s revelation a wonderful preview of all those who have been ransomed, redeemed by his blood, standing around the throne: ‘After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”’ (Revelation 7:9-10) ‘And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”’ (Revelation 5:9–10)
I must ask today as you read this devotion, do you know in your heart if you are going to be in that number gathered around the throne of God, it will only be possible if you have put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to be your Saviour and Lord, you can do this by admitting you are a sinner who needs saving, and believing in your heart that Christ died an atoning death on your behalf when he went to Calvary, and by allowing him to come and to live in your life, and in return you living for the glory of his name.
You can say this simple prayer ‘Dear Lord Jesus I recognise that I am a sinner and in need of salvation, I accept that you went to Calvary and suffered the punishment for my sin on my behalf and I ask you to come into my life, to cleanse me by your precious blood and to make me into a new person. I ask that you help me by the power of the Holy Spirit to live differently, to live in a way that is pleasing to God, help me to connect with others who have made the same decision so that I can grow in my knowledge of you and be strengthened in my faith. Amen.’
If you have said this prayer and meant it, and want to know more or want to be connected to a Church, (which is important) please email me at pastorepcgateshead@gmail.com and I will seek to find a church for you in the community where you are living. If you have read this and live in the North-East of England, you will find us at Emmanuel Pentecostal Church, Caris Street, Gateshead, NE8 3XD www.emmanuelpentecostalchurch.uk