It’s Not About Behavior - But Where We Turn

4/19/2026

Psalm 107

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
9 for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,
prisoners suffering in iron chains,
11 because they rebelled against God’s commands
and despised the plans of the Most High.
12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;
they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,
and broke away their chains.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
16 for he breaks down gates of bronze
and cuts through bars of iron.
17 Some became fools through their rebellious ways
and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
18 They loathed all food
and drew near the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them;
he rescued them from the grave.
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and tell of his works with songs of joy.
23 Some went out on the sea in ships;
they were merchants on the mighty waters.
24 They saw the works of the Lord,
his wonderful deeds in the deep.
25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
that lifted high the waves.
26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.
27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards;
they were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
and praise him in the council of the elders.
33 He turned rivers into a desert,
flowing springs into thirsty ground,
34 and fruitful land into a salt waste,
because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
35 He turned the desert into pools of water
and the parched ground into flowing springs;
36 there he brought the hungry to live,
and they founded a city where they could settle.
37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards
that yielded a fruitful harvest;
38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
and he did not let their herds diminish.
39 Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
40 he who pours contempt on nobles
made them wander in a trackless waste.
41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction
and increased their families like flocks.
42 The upright see and rejoice,
but all the wicked shut their mouths.
43 Let the one who is wise heed these things
and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.

There is a lot of profundity in this psalm. Does the rain really fall on the just and the unjust RANDOMLY?

No way. It is always an exposing test to show us ourselves, as with Job, and to give an excuse to those who were just looking for one anyway. The rain on the just and the unjust clears the fog. Human behavior, good or bad, means very little. What matters is where our hearts and minds go, what our motives were and are, what is correctable, and what is just an excuse for doing what we want to do. Do we turn to the Lord or go our own life? All of human and biblical history comes down to this, because appearances, behavior, weaknesses, self-piety, excuses, rationalization, and self-deception all come out when we decide what to do when the rain comes.

Psalm 107

God repeatedly allows people to end up in desperate, broken circumstances—not randomly, but as the natural consequence of their own wandering, rebellion, and foolishness. “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress.” The humble hear that refrain as their story. The proud never get there; they always have an excuse. Someone else’s fault, some injustice, we had no choice, yeah, but what about?

In the end, it was just another agenda, but unspoken, perhaps hidden from their own conscious mind, even, that was the true driver of lives and decisions.

The Four Scenes—Two Ways to Read Each One...

1. The Wanderers in the Desert
Lost, hungry, thirsty souls fainting within them. The humble eventually stop blaming the terrain and admit they’re lost. They cry out. They’re led to a city to dwell in. The proud? They keep wandering, certain the problem is the map, the weather, everyone else—and they’re still out there.

2. The Prisoners in Darkness
Bound in chains because they had rebelled against God and despised His counsel. The humble eventually sit long enough in the dark to reckon with what got them there. The proud stay in their cells and demand a lawyer.

3. The Fools Laid Low by Sickness
Their own foolishness and iniquities brought them to the gate of death. The humble, flat on their backs with nowhere else to look but up, finally look up. The proud blame their diet, their doctors, their genetics—anything but their choices.

4. The Sailors in the Storm
They saw the works of God in the deep—the waves lifting them to the heavens, plunging them into the depths, their courage melting away. The humble are the ones who, when they can no longer steer, stop pretending they can steer. They cry out. The storm goes to a whisper. The proud white-knuckle the wheel and swear at the ocean.

The Closing Verdict (vv. 33-43)

God reverses fortunes—the fruitful land becomes a waste for the wicked, and the desert becomes springs of water for the hungry and homeless. He raises up the poor and brings down the proud.

The psalm ends with a pointed contrast: “The upright see it and rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths.”

Not because the proud are silenced by humility—but because they have nothing left to say and still can’t figure out why.

Then the final line: “Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.”

The humble look at the wreckage of their own life and see a teacher. The proud look at the same wreckage and see a conspiracy.

Wisdom is simply the willingness to be taught by what happens to you—especially by the hard things, especially by your own hand in them.