Thoughts on Psalm 107, #5: When should I, and for what should I, give thanks?

 Psalm 107 begins with an exhortation/command to those of us who are redeemed--"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting." While not using the word "thanks," the writer in typical Hebrew fashion, comes back to the thought in the conclusion of the Psalm. ". . . give heed to these things, And consider the lovingkindnesses of the LORD."

As we read through the Psalm we find obvious points for thanksgiving. They are what we can call the redemption statements. Each is introduced by the statement, "He delivered/saved/brought them out of their distresses." Each of these lines is followed by a further description of the Lord's deliverance to each distressed group.

• He "led" the wilderness-wanderers by a "straight way," that led to "an inhabited city." They were homeless no more. (7)
• "He brought [the rebellious prisoners] out of darkness and the shadow of death And broke their bands apart." Freedom. (14)
• "He sent His word [to the rebellious fools] and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. Healing. (20)
• For the storm-tossed mariners, "He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed." The result was "quiet . . . He guided them to their desired haven." (29-30)

It is obvious why each of these deliverance passages is followed by the exhortation, "Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men!" (8,15,21, & 31) This general exhortation is supplemented by reasons for, and exhortations to, thanksgiving appropriate to each group. (9,16, 22, & 32)

Further in the coda section (33-41) which speaks of God's sovereignty, we see other obvious reasons for thanksgiving.  Who wouldn't be thankful when a dry land becomes well-watered and fruitful, a place where the formerly hungry can be well-fed? When the "needy" are taken "away from affliction" and placed under the care of shepherd (the Good Shepherd), is there not reason for thanks?

However, I would make the point that the thanksgiving should precede these "good" things. We ought to be thankful for:

• The wandering, hunger, and thirst of the desert (4-5),
• The darkness, misery, chains, labor, helplessness,  and even the shadow of death in the prison (10-12), 
• The affliction, inability to eat, and even the nearness of death that afflicted the sick, and
• The overwhelming force of nature that brings one to his wits' end.

God's sovereign control of His world includes not only things that we immediately recognize as blessings but also events we don't like or want. "He changes rivers into a wilderness And springs of water into a thirsty ground; A fruitful land into a salt waste." (33-34) "He pours contempt upon princes And makes them wander in a pathless waste." (40) I doubt that the prince put that on his praise-list.

We should give thanks for these conditions, which we rightly regard as negatives, because these are the means that bring about the "cry to the Lord," which leads to redemption. God so orders His world that the "way of transgressors is [often] hard." (Proverbs 13:15) I add "often" in recognition of the context--this is a proverb, a general truth. Further, I say, "Often," because of the truth found in Psalm 37, 73, Habakkuk, and Luke 13. Sometimes, as far as we can see, it looks like the transgressor is doing quite well, thank you.

When sin brings misery it is a good thing. It provides incentive to cry out to God--the God of lovingkindness.

It was rebellion that led to the misery of the prisoners and the near-fatal sickness of the fools.  "But what about the wanderers and the sailors?" you ask. "No sin is mentioned in the verses leading to their distress." You are quite right in your observation. Some interpreters supply a sin where none is mentioned. Some conclude that the passage about the wanderers is about the wilderness wanderings of Israel--a result of their unbelief. It could be, but I don't know. Some see in the sailors' plight a parallel with the businessmen of James 4:13-16. They were guilty of arrogance, thinking they were in control. Perhaps these sailors were like that. Maybe not.
Remember that concept of surd evil? In the same way God causes it to rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matt. 5:45), He allows calamity to befall the innocent as well as the guilty. (Jesus assigned no guilt as a cause of the blindness of the man in John 9.) The groaning of our fallen world (Romans 8:18-23) affects all who live on this globe and drives us to the realization that one can't depend on this world to supply what we really need. Indeed, hope in anything other than God will, sooner or later, disappoint, sometimes catastrophically. Again, when that realization drives one to the point of crying out to the Lord, one can see the thank-worthiness of the affliction that drove them to the Lord.

You can explore it on your own, but it gives light on passages like Ephesians 5:20, "always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;" A friend of mine recently shared an unusual prayer request. His loved one is not a believer. He asked a group of friends to pray that his loved one would be made miserable. He offered this request not because he doesn't love the person concerned, but because he does love him. To borrow an expression from the late John Lewis, when trouble drives us to the Lord, that's "good trouble." Thank the Lord for it.

Lord, I see the need to be continually growing closer to You, and following You more effectively. I shiver a bit as I ask it, but, Lord, don't let me be comfortable outside of my relationship to you. When I need it, Lord, send me good trouble and give me the good sense to thank you for it.

Amen