Our community group recently finished sharing life stories. The process is challenging as we seek to be transparent—to focus less on what has happened to us and more on where God has been moving and drawing us to Himself.

Psalm 107 reminds us of the importance of sharing what the Lord has done in our lives. The psalm opens in verses 2 and 3 with “Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south.” It’s amazing, encouraging, and hopeful to see God gathering and redeeming we “exiles” from sin, depravity, and darkness.

Each one of our stories is different but I see the same overarching themes found in this psalm written thousand of years ago. God knows us now and He knew us even then. Some of us were far from God; we “wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless” (v. 4). Some of us suffered depression, isolation, bound by sins and insecurities; we “sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery” (v. 10). Some of us ran from God; we “were fools; they rebelled and suffered for their sins” (v. 17).  Some of us “reeled and staggered like drunkards and were at their wit’s end” (v. 27).

In our brokenness, each of us reached the place repeated in verses 6-7, 13-14, 19-20 and 28-29: “Lord, help!  They cried in their trouble.” And in every life, the Lord was faithful: “He rescued them from their distress.” In each case, God’s call and His balm was specific to the person. “He led them straight to safety” (v.7). “He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; he snapped their chains” (v. 14). “He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death” (v. 20).  “He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves” (v. 29). He purposefully pursued. He saw, He knew, He understood and He redeemed in spite of the sin and rebellion. His Story of redemption is our story.

God is our Ezer! He is fighting for us, inviting each of us with a personal invitation, nurturing us to be the unique individuals He created us to be, and calling us into partnership with Him, to own His cause and live our lives for Him.  He brings purpose to our wounds, our weaknesses, and our struggles; He fills our lives with hope.

For these and many more reasons, we praise Him because He is good, faithful, and unchanging. We can say with the psalmist “Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them” (vv. 8, 15, 21, 31) for those wonderful things are too many to name.

Our stories are clear indications of a God who keeps His promises, whose “faithful love endures forever” (v. 1)! Together they tell a small part of His Story of healing, hope, eternal life, and the power to “change a leper’s spot and melt the heart of stone” (Jesus Paid it All).

With whom do you need to share your story of redemption?