Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So

Psalm 107 opens with a call that is simple but not shallow: “Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.” The psalmist does not begin with degrees, scholarships, houses, promotions, or what anybody survived. The text starts with who God is. God is good, and God’s mercy does not run out when money, patience, energy, opportunities, and motivation do.

The psalmist refuses to let God’s goodness be held hostage by circumstances. Life can be lifing, the math can refuse to add up, the marriage can be rocky, the job can be gone, and a diagnosis can bring fear. God is still good. Thanksgiving becomes more than a response to a good day. Thanksgiving becomes the recognition that, even when life has been complicated, God has stayed consistent.

Psalm 107 then calls for redeemed people to “say so.” The text does not say that the redeemed should think so, feel so, or hint so. The redeemed of the Lord must say so because God has brought them out of something. God did not merely observe people wandering in the wilderness, sitting in darkness, suffering from bad decisions, or caught in storms beyond their control. God heard their cry and delivered them from their distress.

The psalmist gives room for every kind of testimony. God brings people out of confusion, darkness, bondage, empty places, broken places, storms, and even trouble created by their own choices. God can put a comma where the enemy tried to put a period. Trouble does not have the last word. Divorce does not have the last word. A doctor’s diagnosis does not have the last word. God still holds the heavenly pencil.

The testimony of the redeemed is never meant to stay locked inside. Psalm 107 repeats the call for people to praise the Lord for His goodness and His wonderful works to the children of men. God’s deliverance becomes public evidence that somebody else can hold on. A story of survival, restoration, provision, or renewed purpose may remind a weary person that God still heals, saves, keeps, covers, restores, and makes a way out of no way.

Christ gives the redeemed their deepest reason to say so. The crucified Christ died, stayed dead through Friday and Saturday, and got up early Sunday morning with all power. The resurrection means that every redeemed life has something to say.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God’s goodness outlasts changing circumstances [01:03:46] Psalm 107 grounds thanksgiving in God’s character, not in a person’s current comfort. God remains good when the bank account is thin, when doors close, and when life refuses to look picture perfect. Faith learns to distinguish “everything is good” from “God is still good.” That distinction keeps praise from rising and falling like the stock market. [63:46]
• 2. Redeemed people must not stay silent [55:27] The psalmist commands the redeemed to say so, not merely to carry private gratitude. Silence can grow from fear of looking too churchy, too spiritual, or too different from the crowd. God’s faithfulness deserves more credit than personal grind, discipline, or achievement. A redeemed mouth tells the truth about who kept it. [55:27]
• 3. God brings people out of every place [01:08:35] Psalm 107 names wilderness wandering, darkness, affliction, and storms that cannot be controlled. God meets people in trouble caused by others, trouble caused by circumstances, and trouble caused by their own bad decisions. Deliverance does not depend on human strength or wisdom alone. God still knows how to lead, refill, free, restore, and speak peace. [68:35]
• 4. A testimony helps somebody hold on [01:11:16] The testimony of deliverance is not only for memory or private celebration. God uses honest stories to show wounded people that they are not alone and that despair is not final. A testimony need not be dramatic to be true. Every life sustained by grace carries evidence that somebody else may need. [71:16]
• 5. Christ’s resurrection gives every believer speech [01:16:39] Christ’s death and resurrection stand underneath every Christian testimony. The risen Christ turns the enemy’s apparent victory into proof that God has the final word. Resurrection power does not erase suffering, but it refuses to let suffering define the whole story. Because Christ got up, the redeemed have something to say.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [45:15] - God Is Good in Every Season
• [46:47] - Reading Psalm 107
• [47:46] - Let the Redeemed Say So
• [49:25] - Loud Online, Quiet About God
• [52:43] - God Kept Me
• [55:27] - The Command to Say So
• [60:06] - Psalm 107 and Deliverance
• [61:57] - God Has Been Good
• [67:07] - God Brought You Out
• [71:16] - Your Testimony Helps Somebody
• [74:57] - A Story to Tell
• [76:39] - Christ Got Up With Power

1. In Psalm 107:1–2, what two truths about God are given before the psalmist calls the redeemed to speak?
2. What kinds of trouble are named in Psalm 107: wandering in the wilderness, darkness, affliction, and storms? What do these different situations have in common? [01:08:35]
3. What is the difference between talking about a blessing, an open door, or a personal accomplishment and giving God credit for it? [51:10]
4. According to Psalm 107, what happens when people cry out to the Lord in their distress? [01:00:13]

1. Psalm 107 says God is good, not that every part of life is good. How does that difference help a believer speak honestly about pain while still giving thanks? [01:03:37]
2. What does it mean to be “redeemed from trouble”? How is redemption more than God simply noticing that someone is struggling? [01:07:38]
3. Why might a person who has experienced God’s help still be reluctant to “say so” around friends, coworkers, or online? [53:45]
4. How can a person’s testimony give hope to someone facing a different kind of struggle than the one in the testimony? [01:11:16]

1. Where has life been complicated recently—at home, at work, with finances, health, relationships, or grief? In that specific place, what would it look like to say, “Life is hard, but God is still good”? [01:04:41]
2. Think about one good thing in your life right now: a job, protection, provision, friendship, growth, or an open door. Have you been more likely to say, “I did it,” or “God kept me”? What would change if you gave God clear credit this week? [51:20]
3. Is there a season God has brought you through—confusion, a bad decision, loss, fear, sickness, bondage, or a storm you could not control? What part of that story can you share honestly without pretending that the journey was easy? [01:09:06]
4. Who in your life may need to hear a simple testimony of God’s faithfulness right now? What is one appropriate way to encourage that person this week?
5. What fears make it hard to speak openly about faith—fear of seeming “too churchy,” fear of being misunderstood, or fear that people will judge your past? How can the group help one another speak with both humility and courage? [54:01]
6. Psalm 30:5 says weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning. Where do you need to hold on to hope without denying the reality of your present tears? [01:14:28]
7. Jesus came that His people may have abundant life, and His resurrection declares that death and suffering do not get the final word. What gives you something to say about Christ’s power and faithfulness today? [01:16:39]