Psalm 107:1-43 CEB

[1] “Give thanks to the LORD because he is good, because his faithful love lasts forever!” [2] That’s what those who are redeemed by the LORD say, the ones God redeemed from the power of their enemies, [3] the ones God gathered from various countries, from east and west, north and south. [4] Some of the redeemed had wandered into the desert, into the wasteland. They couldn’t find their way to a city or town. [5] They were hungry and thirsty; their lives were slipping away. [6] So they cried out to the LORD in their distress, and God delivered them from their desperate circumstances. [7] God led them straight to human habitation. [8] Let them thank the LORD for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all people, [9] because God satisfied the one who was parched with thirst, and he filled up the hungry with good things! [10] Some of the redeemed had been sitting in darkness and deep gloom; they were prisoners suffering in chains [11] because they had disobeyed God’s instructions and rejected the Most High’s plans. [12] So God humbled them with hard work. They stumbled, and there was no one to help them. [13] So they cried out to the LORD in their distress, and God saved them from their desperate circumstances. [14] God brought them out from the darkness and deep gloom; he shattered their chains. [15] Let them thank the LORD for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all people, [16] because God has shattered bronze doors and split iron bars in two! [17] Some of the redeemed were fools because of their sinful ways. They suffered because of their wickedness. [18] They had absolutely no appetite for food; they had arrived at death’s gates. [19] So they cried out to the LORD in their distress, and God saved them from their desperate circumstances. [20] God gave the order and healed them; he rescued them from their pit. [21] Let them thank the LORD for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all people. [22] Let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices and declare what God has done in songs of joy! [23] Some of the redeemed had gone out on the ocean in ships, making their living on the high seas. [24] They saw what the LORD had made; they saw his wondrous works in the depths of the sea. [25] God spoke and stirred up a storm that brought the waves up high. [26] The waves went as high as the sky; they crashed down to the depths. The sailors’ courage melted at this terrible situation. [27] They staggered and stumbled around like they were drunk. None of their skill was of any help. [28] So they cried out to the LORD in their distress, and God brought them out safe from their desperate circumstances. [29] God quieted the storm to a whisper; the sea’s waves were hushed. [30] So they rejoiced because the waves had calmed down; then God led them to the harbor they were hoping for. [31] Let them thank the LORD for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all people. [32] Let them exalt God in the congregation of the people and praise God in the assembly of the elders. [33] God turns rivers into desert, watery springs into thirsty ground, [34] fruitful land into unproductive dirt, when its inhabitants are wicked. [35] But God can also turn the desert into watery pools, thirsty ground into watery springs, [36] where he settles the hungry. They even build a city and live there! [37] They plant fields and vineyards and obtain a fruitful harvest. [38] God blesses them, and they become many. God won’t even let their cattle diminish. [39] But when they do diminish—when they’re brought down by oppression, trouble, and grief— [40] God pours contempt on their leaders, making them wander aimlessly in the wastelands. [41] But God raises the needy from their suffering; he makes their families as numerous as sheep! [42] Those who do right see it and celebrate, but every wicked person shuts their mouth. [43] Whoever is wise will pay attention to these things, carefully considering the LORD’s faithful love.