The Four Types of People that God Loves to Redeem

I heard about a politician who led a pretty rough life. In 1832 he lost his job and in that same year was also defeated for state legislature. He gave his best shot at business but failed the following year. He was eventually elected to state legislature in 1834 but then in 1835 his sweetheart tragically passed from typhoid, which, in part, is what led to his nervous breakdown in 1836. In 1838 he was defeated for Speaker. In 1843 he was defeated for nomination to congress, though he finally made it to congress three years later. I should probably mention, however, he lost renomination two years after that. He was rejected for land officer in 1849, defeated for U.S. senate in 1854, defeated for nomination as Vice President in 1856 followed by another defeat for the senate in 1858. But in 1860 that man became the 16th president of the United States, went on to abolish slavery, and led our nation through the darkest days of our history. Abraham Lincoln was a man well-acquainted with failure but perhaps even more acquainted with redemption.

THE WORD

Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story— those He redeemed from the hand of the foe, those He gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.

Psalm 107:2-3

Everyone loves a redemption story. The beautiful thing about the gospel is that, with Christ, everyone is a redemption story. There is perhaps no chapter in the Bible that captures that more fully that Psalm 107. In this Psalm David reflects on four types of people that the LORD loves to redeem. You owe it to yourself to read and meditate on the entire Psalm. Perhaps you can relate to one or more of these four.

FOUR TYPES OF PEOPLE THAT GOD LOVES TO REDEEM:

1. The Wanderer

4Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. 5They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. 6Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 7He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.

People wander for many reasons. Some are adventurous, others curious, but many are just simply lost. David describes these first type of people as those who are unsettled and unfulfilled. I love that a few translations of verse 5 use the word "ebb" to describe how a person's life can be on a slow fade.

The term "ebb and flow" describes the phases of the tide. When the water ebbs, it's in the outgoing phase, draining away from the shore. When the water flows, it's in the incoming phase, causing the shore to be flooded again. I've witnessed this many times on trips to the beach but never so dramatically than when we brought of group of high school seniors on a mission trip to a small Hawaiian Island called Kauai. The tides there are quite dangerous and there are warning signs everywhere about where not to swim. Of course our kids found themselves one day in the middle of one of the "caution zones" before I realized it and lovingly screamed for them to come in. A few of them had already drifted out too far, causing them to have to fight for their lives to get back to the shore. They had been ebbing away completely unaware.

Maybe you know what it feels like to be drifting further and further from where you want to be. Know this: God saw Joseph sitting in a prison with no direction, He saw His people in an Egyptian land suffering, He saw Nathanael sitting under the fig tree, and He sees you. You may not be where you want to be, but your are not out of His sight, nor out of His reach. He not only wants to lead you out of the tides of life, He wants to settle you in the place of refuge. The Lord LOVES to redeem the wanderer.

2. The Waiting

10Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains, 11because they rebelled against God’s commands and despised the plans of the Most High. 12So He subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. 13Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. 14He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains.

Our justice system has been built around the idea that when someone has broken the law, sometimes they must pay with money (fines), other times they must pay with labor (community service), but perhaps one of the most feared options is to pay with time (imprisonment). The second group of people David describes in Psalm 107 are those in a holding cell.

Now obviously this describes those who seem to be stuck in a pattern of sin and are being punished for their own choices. But I believe that when God calls us to a season of waiting, not out of correction but out of His own purposes and foresight, we tend to make a prison cell out of that season as well.

To the one who is waiting to break out of a sin cycle, know that what you continue to turn to isn't serving you, it's mastering you. Romans 6:16 says "we are a slave to what we obey." Sin always begins with us giving it a TRY and it returns the favor by giving us a TRAP. You may feel stuck, but you're only stuck between your desire for sin and destruction and your destiny as a son or a daughter. It's easy to read those verses above and feel abandoned to a "time sentence," but here's the good news: we live in the new covenant. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, "'In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.' I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation." You're not waiting on God to be free, He's waiting on you.

To the one who is simply in a season of waiting, this season doesn't have to be a prison cell. Paul and Silas STAYED in jail though the gates were open and the chains were broken. Why? Because God was in their midst. No longer BOUND but FOUND! Waiting can be very active, instead of passive. Wait well, knowing there is purpose in it.

Be free from the cycles of sin and oppression and be present in the purpose behind your delay. God LOVES to redeem the waiting.

3. The Wicked

17Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. 18They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death. 19Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. 20He sent out his word and healed them; He rescued them from the grave.

"Wicked" sounds pretty extreme. You'd be hard-pressed to find very many people who would describe themselves with such a strong adjective. But the Bible makes it clear, none of us are righteous. The apostle Paul even goes as far as labeling us as enemies of God before we are reconciled to Him.

In order to have a right view of God, we must have a right view of ourselves and of the rebellion in our hearts towards Him. When you scrolled down looking at what the four types were, deciding if you were even going to read this or not (I know how it goes), this was probably the last type to which you felt connected. But let me just say what's undoubtedly true: this is the ONLY ONE that describes EVERYONE.

When you hear "wicked" perhaps you think of warlords or mob bosses... or maybe even your boss, but you probably don't think of the person in the mirror. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and the wages of that sin IS death. The wanderer needs saving from the wilderness. The waiting need saving from their prison. But the wicked need saving from the grave. God's been resurrecting the dead for a long time. He not only LOVES to redeem the wicked, He LIVES for it (literally).

Last one

4. The Worrier

23Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters... 26They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. 27They reeled and staggered like drunkards; they were at their wits’ end. 28Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress. 29He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. 30They were glad when it grew calm, and He guided them to their desired haven.

At the end of his life Mark Twain is said to have pinned this statement: "I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened." I've heard it said that worry is a thief. It steals our peace, our time, and our confidence. Worry is an invitation to live in the land of "what if."

Here in this Psalm David compares the influence of fear to the influence of alcohol. We don't think clearly in the midst of fear because it impairs us. In many ways it's our fear OF a thing that CAUSES the happening of a thing or causes SOMEthing worse! The stock market is a great example. If enough people fear that the stock market will crash and operate out of that fear by withdrawing their funds, their actions can CAUSE the crash itself. Fear is faith in the wrong direction and deserves not one ounce of the real estate of our minds.

At times God rescues us from our fear by calming the storm around us and at other times by calming the storm within us. God doesn't always remove you from your circumstance. Sometimes He just strengthens you to endure it. One thing is for sure, He's always with you in it. The remedy for your worry is His presence. God LOVES to redeem the worrier.

CONCLUSION

Perhaps today you can identify with some of these types. The one thing they all have in common is their song. If you've been redeemed you have a story to tell. Redemption is not an event, it's an echo. Eternity will tell of all those who have been picked up by the righteous hand of God from whatever state He pulled them from. Embrace your story and let it be known!