In the sermon 'Thankful Observations of Providence' by Jamey Stout, Psalm 107 is used as the primary text to explore the themes of thanksgiving for God's providence and mercy. The sermon emphasizes the importance of recognizing God's hand in both adversity and prosperity, illustrating with examples from the Bible like deliverance from wilderness, captivity, and storms. The speaker highlights how these events signify God's goodness and steadfast love, encouraging believers to observe these works as tokens of God's care and to respond with gratitude. The sermon also discusses the necessity of acknowledging God's providence for a deeper understanding of His loving-kindness, calling Christians to reflect on their experiences of deliverance and to give thanks for God's ongoing grace and mercy.

With me to Psalm 107 Psalm 107 Oh give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy and gathered out of the lands from the west and from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way. They found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble. He delivered them out of their distresses and he led them forth by the right way that they might go to a city for a dwelling place. Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. For he satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness. Those who set in darkness and in the shadow of death bound in affliction and irons because they rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High.

Therefore, he brought down their heart with labor. They fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of the darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their chains and pieces. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.

For he has broken the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron in two. Fools, because of their transgression and because of their iniquities, were afflicted, their soul abhorred on manner of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them and delivered them from their destructions. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men.

Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing. Those who go down to the sea and ships, who do business on great waters, they see the works of the Lord his wonders in the deep for he commands and raises the stormy wind which lifts up the waves of the sea they mount up to the heavens they go down again to the depths their soul melts because of their trouble they reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits end. Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm so that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet, so he guides them to their desired haven.

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. Let them exalt him also in the assembly of the people, and praise him in the company of the elders. He turns rivers into a wilderness, and the water springs into dry ground, a fruitful land into barrenness for the wickedness of those who dwell in it. He turns a wilderness into pools of water and dry land into water springs, that there he makes the hungry dwell, that they may establish a city for a dwelling place, and so fields and plant vineyards that they may yield a fruitful harvest. He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly, and he does not let their cattle decrease.

When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow, he pours contempts on princes and causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way, yet sets the poor on high far from affliction and makes their families like a flock. The righteous see it and rejoice and all iniquity stops its mouth. Whoever is wise will observe these things and they will understand the loving kindness of the Lord. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, as we think about your great hand of providence, And we look at these examples that you've given to us that are so analogous for our spiritual condition of lostness before you that you would bring us to the brink of ruin, that we might be completely restored to you.

You are such a good God. We bless and praise your name. As one brother put it, that the ends of your providence is a happy end for those who belong to you. And God, I pray that if there would be one here tonight or this afternoon that does not belong to you they would know that they've been brought here to be undone that they too could join the happy throng of your assembled people and rejoice in the salvation of our great God. You are so worthy.

Would you bring glory to yourself in edifying your people and saving souls as only you can do it. And we'll give you the praise. In Jesus' name, Amen. The title of this message is, Thankful Observation of Providence. Thankful observations of Providence.

Now why this Psalm in our study of Providence, I really think it goes well with the last three chapters in our confession. And so that's why I chose it. And also because after reading, having completed the book, The Mystery of Providence by John Flavel, He pointed this psalm out to me in that book. It's a fantastic book. I encourage all to read it.

But why this psalm? Why study this psalm as we are seeking to understand God's providence? Here's how John Calvin puts it. The psalm teaches us in the first place that human affairs are not regulated by the fickle and uncertain will of fortune, but that we must observe the judgments of God and the different changes, or he says vistas, but changes which occur in the world, and which men imagine by chance. Consequently, adversity and all the ills which mankind endure as shipwrecks, famines, banishments, diseases, and disasters in war are to be regarded as so many tokens of God's displeasure by which he summons them on account of their sins before his judicial throne.

But prosperity and the happy issue of events ought also to be attributed to His grace in order that He may always receive the praise which He deserves. That of being a merciful father and an impartial judge. And at the close of the Psalm, verse 43, he invades against those ungodly men who will not acknowledge God's hand amidst such palpable or very clear demonstrations of his providence. Here's how John Flavel put it, without due observation of the works of providence, no praise can be rendered to God for any of them. I know through this study just by personal confession I've really been convicted that I'm so dull of head, or dull spiritually to see the hand of Providence in my life and acknowledge it, and to bring it to bear upon my family.

So I'm very thankful for this study. It's been a joy to have that the spirit just pinpoint that very much in my mind and my heart my walk with the King. So he goes on, praise and thanksgiving depend upon this act of observation of them and cannot be performed without it. Psalm 107 is spent in narrating God's providential care of men to his people in difficulties 4 through 6, to prisoners in their bonds, 10 through 11, to men that lie languishing upon beds of sickness, 17 through 19, to seamen upon a stormy ocean, 23, to men in times of famine, 33 through 40. Yea, his providence is displayed in all those changes that occur in the world debasing the high and exalting the low 40 through 41 and at every paragraph men are called upon to praise God for each of these providences.

Verse 43 shows you that what what a necessary ingredient to that duty observation is. Whoso is wise and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord. So that of necessity, God must be defrauded of praise if this duty is neglected. And so I've been defrauding him of praise when I don't acknowledge his good hand of providence in the good and in the bad. Amen.

Amen. And I don't want to do that anymore. I know I'm going to be guilty till the day he glorifies me, okay. But I want to get better. Amen.

I know you do too. So may today be helpful to you. Here's another brother Lang. He contemplates God's doings. He who contemplates God's doings and history finds everywhere number one an exhortation to thanksgiving for his gracious help.

Number two occasion for self-humiliation beneath his powerful hand, and number three, they call it a surrender himself to his gracious will. And I love what this brother just arrested me and I thought, man, I've got to share this with my brothers and sisters. This is by a fellow named Stark. Never heard of him, but in one of the commentaries they just list out some of the things that have been said as they have studied this song. This guy says this, the pilgrimage of a Christian involves wondering, insecurity, hunger, thirst, and despite, but all to the end, that the faithful guidance, the mighty help, the satisfying and revival of the Good Shepherd may be displayed.

And I thought hallelujah that's what you are my dear brother, my dear sister, through every trial, through the ups and through the downs, you're a display of the good shepherds sufficiency in your life and a display to the onlooking world of Psalm 23. Just think of that song. Barnes says this, no one can study the works of God or make or mark the events of his providence without perceiving that there are innumerable arrangements which have no other end than to produce happiness." I mean he brings each one of these examples to their knees in absolute desperation. Why? To give them a happy end that they would find themselves rescued by God himself.

Right? Charles Simeon, in applying this psalm to our spiritual condition, wisely states, We do not mean to intimate that all converted persons have felt these things in an equal degree, but all have felt them sufficiently to see the suitableness of these images to their own experience. That makes sense? Some are saved early in life, some are saved later in life, some are saved between that, and maybe there's not been many waters under the bridge, but I will tell you it's always a glorious thing when a dead sinner realizes he's dead and Jesus is his life. It's always glorious.

It's always glorious. And so that's what this brother it might not be to the same might not be the same experience with all or to the degree or whatever, but it's sufficient enough for that person to realize there's nothing I can do to save myself. I need Christ! He's all. So that's his point there.

He goes on to say, What then shall we say? Does God in suffering them to be exercised mark his displeasure against them? No, it is his love. Listen to this. And love alone that he manifests.

Multitudes of others he leaves to follow their own evils without fear and without remorse. But those whom he loves, he awakens from their security. He sends His Holy Spirit to convince them of sin. He stirs them up to fervent prayer and then in answer to their prayers, He speaks peace to their souls. What a God!

He brings the calamity, saves from the calamity to show he is sufficient for all that we need. It's awesome. What a God. Those troubles were not at the time joyous but grievous. Nevertheless, afterwards they yield the peaceful, peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them that are exercised by them." All right let's get in the text.

I so wanted to preach the whole psalm and then I realized well Jamie you just can't do that because you just can't. So we'll get the first paragraph maybe. Okay let's delve at it together. First we see in verses 1 through 3, let the redeemed and gathered heed the summons to give thanks to Yahweh. The summons found here in verse 1, oh give thanks to the Lord.

This is as was in Revelation. It's not an option. This is a command to acknowledge Yahweh, to acknowledge the self-existent one, the great I AM who I AM, this one, the covenant-keeping God of his people, The Almighty as we saw in Revelation this morning. And it's not vague, it's not, oh I'm thankful for my family, thankful for all this. No, it's very pointed.

There is a person who is to be thanked. And it's Yahweh. It's the Lord. You ever wondering as you read in your Bible the Lord in all caps is that name Yahweh. Referring back to how he introduced himself when Moses said who can I tell him sent me?

I am who I am. And you think about what that means. The immutability of God. Is he ever gonna stop being who he is? Never.

He is a God whom you can anchor your whole being upon and be unashamed and not be disappointed. But all others will fail you as you see in this holy text before you. He is he that deserves your praise, your acknowledgement, your thanks. So the summons, look at the motives, the whys, why should I give thanks to Yahweh? The text says, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.

These are the two reasons given. As you think about this whole matter of the goodness of God, I couldn't help but think of Exodus when you have in this scene Moses asking God, please, please show me your glory. And let's just read that text. I'll read it for you. Exodus 33, 18 through 19.

Moses said, please show me your glory. Listen to what God says. Then he said, I will make my goodness. This is our word in our text, tov, for goodness. I will let my goodness, God says, I will make all my goodness pass before you.

So God is using this word to sum up all of who he is that he's going to cause to pass before Moses. My goodness passed before you and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." Then you just turn to the next chapter and you have God doing this very thing of letting his goodness pass before Moses. Exodus 34, 5-7. Now the Lord descended in the clouds, stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.

And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, abounding in goodness. This is our second reason. This is the word hesed, that word that in our psalm endures forever. Here God says about himself that his goodness, his mercy endures as abounding and truth. Keeping mercy, there's the word again, for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the children's children to the third and the fourth generation.

So here is our two reasons found in a very clear text of God's revelation of himself to Moses. We're to give thanks because of who God is And guess what? Everything that has been done for you in your life to bring you to repentance and faith and keep you on that path has been because of God's goodness and steadfast love, his loyal love, his hesed, his mercy. There was one brother, it was MacArthur, he said that the word is mercy and grace combined together. This word, hesed, that we have here in our holy text, which is the second reason in our Psalm to give praise to God or to give thanks.

So this one is also qualified to eternity. It's forever. I love I think it was Brother Scott was just letting us know, I mean, when you think about God's love, how did you put it brother? He never started loving because he never stopped. He's always been so his steadfast love.

That's exactly what the psalmist is adoring God for and calling us and summoning us to adore Him for because His loving kindness is eternal. He set His love on us in His Son. He's never stopped because He never started. And is He going to fail? Is that not going to flow for now and eternity?

I mean it's gonna keep on going on. This is what we bank it all on that God's not gonna stop being God And I'm gonna lay myself upon it. I'm gonna lay there because that's all I have and that's all I need. And so I call you to do the same. You're not gonna be disappointed if you are resting your whole self on who God is, who he has revealed himself to be in the book that he's given.

It's eternal. And I think if you just want to know about this word, how does hesed function, I just turned to Psalm 136. Guess what? Every line in Psalm 136 ends with what? For his steadfast love endures forever.

You got it? And I mean you're talking about, we're talking about creation. Why did he create? For his steadfast love endures forever. Why did he redeem?

For his steadfast love endures forever. Why is he showing kindness to the person who's blaspheming his name and breathing his air right now? For his steadfast love endures forever. I mean everything flows out of this great characteristic of our God. This is who he is.

His steadfast love endures forever. So God's exhortation to his redeemed community to worship him for who he is and from the fount of what he has done, that very fount of why he's done all that he's done. His goodness, his mercy. Well let's look at those who are summoned now in verses 2 through 3. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy and gathered out of the lands from the east and from the west, from the north, and from the south.

Even in the very way in which God said, talks about the redeemed, it's in the passive voice, which means it's not the subject doing the action of the verb. They're receiving the action. The redeemed are those who receive redemption. They haven't accomplished it. It's the redeemed of the Lord.

They're the ones who've been rescued by the Lord's outstretched arm not their own. So the redeemed of the Lord whom as he clarifies he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy. Now as you travel through this psalm you'll find a word that's linked to this word and it's that word trouble when it comes to the end of themselves and they have then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble. Well this word enemy is kin to that word trouble and you'll find it in 6 verse 6 verse 13 verse 19 verse 28 and so here it is in fact the ESV translates enemy trouble as we have the hand of the enemy. And what has he done?

He's gathered out of the lands from the east and from the west from the north and from the south. What's very interesting just flip over in Psalm 106 verse 47. Some have seen a link between this Psalm and the prayer offered at the end of Psalm 106 in verse 47. Save us O Lord our God and gather us from among the Gentiles to give thanks to your holy name to triumph in your praise." And then what is Psalm 117? An explosion of God's gathered people praising and giving thanks to God.

Very well be. And then God as you think about this whole matter of being gathered, he promised as he laid out before his people in the old covenant the cursings and blessings. In Deuteronomy 30 verses 1 through 6 we read, Now it shall come to pass when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you. And you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God drives you, and you return to the Lord your God and obey his voice according to all that I command you today, you and your children with all your heart and with all your soul, that the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you. If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven from there the Lord your God will gather you and From there he will bring you and I love what he says next in Anticipation of the new covenant then the Lord your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possess and you shall possess it and he will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers and the Lord your God here it is will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants To love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul that you may live The prophets sing the same tune Isaiah he will set up his banner for the nation since and will assemble the outcasts of Israel and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth Jeremiah and that's 11 12 of Isaiah Jeremiah But I will gather the remnant of my people or my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their foes and they shall be fruitful and increase.

Jeremiah 23 3 Ezekiel therefore says thus says the Lord God I will gather you from the peoples assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered and I will give you the land of Israel. That's Ezekiel 11 17. I know certainly this includes the exiled Jews returning from Babylonian captivity. The prophets themselves include the Gentiles among God's redeemed and gathered people. Notice Isaiah 56, 8.

The Lord God who gathers the outcasts of Israel says, Yet I will gather to him others besides those who are gathered to him. Even Caiaphas speaking better than he knew, as John explains in The Gospel of John, chapter 11, verses 51 through 52 says, Now this he did not say of his own authority, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that he would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. So as we stand on this side of the cross and the empty tomb, this is a summons to all of God's redeemed and gathered people to acknowledge their Redeemer Yahweh and to give him thanks for his great acts of providence in bringing them to himself. He's an awesome God and he deserves thanks. As we've been learning.

We await the final gathering recorded in Revelation 5, 8 through 10. Now, when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals for you were slain and you have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people in nation and have made us kings and priests to our God and we shall reign on the earth." And I I mean how timely in God's dealings with us as an assembly has been revelation. It has been a balm, I know, to my soul and to many of us. As you think about the consummation day, Charles Simeon bringing to bear upon us, why is the giving of thanks for the daily providences that we need to acknowledge and take note of and bring to bear upon our families.

Why is that important to know? Well, it's preparation. It's preparation. This is how he puts it. See to it then that your daily mercies call forth suitable returns of love and gratitude and thus will you be preparing gradually for that blessed day when all the mysterious designs of God which now you could not penetrate shall be unraveled and all your sorrows terminate in endless joy hallelujah For the Lord our God the omnipotent reigns and all God's people say what?

Amen right? It's gonna end in endless joy and we're starting now. We're starting now. So I would not be faithful, I believe, to the text if I didn't ask you, are you a part of this summoned redeemed people? Are you?

Do you hear these people that have come to the end of themselves in this psalm and resonate with that? Because you know God brought you there too. And there's even in your Christian life he does the same. I mean any guy that preaches knows that about every sermon you realize you have to come to the end of yourself because you just don't have anything and you got to preach an inexhaustible being. So every So every sermon is a Psalm 107 moment.

Or just the fact of seeking to be a husband that looks like what we learned about this morning. The faithful love of our Christ. It's undoing. It brings us to desperation and that's where we should be at the feet of King Jesus drawing from Emmanuel's veins the sufficiency of all that he is to us my friends so that he alone gets the glory because he alone will and he deserves it. But are you a part of this number?

There's no sector of humanity that his hand does not reach. Did you hear it? East and the West. North and the south. My friend, there is abundant redemption with our King and his hand is not shortened that it cannot save.

He will reach down and change your heart. It's a miracle. Fall at his feet. You might become one of these grateful worshipers. So we've heard the summons of to all the redeemed.

Now let us hear the summons to the specific ones who have experienced the good providence of God and their deliverances. And I'm going to couch it this way and if the Lord allowed and maybe be able to do some more of the paragraphs that are in this psalm. First, Let the redeemed wanderers say so. Let's look at verses 4 through 9. First of all, their dire straight situation.

Look at what's going on with these people. They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way. Here is a picture of their lostness. They found no city to dwell in, a picture of their lack of provision, no provision whatsoever. By the way, this word wondered is the same word used in Isaiah 53, 6.

They are lost. All we like sheep have gone astray. It's a picture of their destitute situation. City representing plenty of provision, plenty of food, plenty of water, plenty of shelter. They have none of it.

Verse five, what's the result of all this? They're going to die hungry and thirsty. Their souls fainted within them. As you think about this some ways in which to help us just understand their situation, Lamentations chapter 2 verses 11 through 12. This is Jeremiah using this same type of language.

My eyes fail with tears. My heart is troubled. My bow is poured out or poured on the ground because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, because the children and the infants, and here's our word, faint in the streets of the city. They say to their mothers, where is grain and wine? Word again, as they swoon like the wounded in the streets of the city, as their life is poured out in their mother's bosom.

They're going to die. They've come to the end. In themselves they have no hope. This is it. Or as Jonah in the belly of the great fish in chapter 2 verse 7, When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord and my prayer went up to you into your holy temple and so what happens to these as they come to the absolute end of themselves.

The beeline to heaven happens right? It's called prayer. What's their only solution? What's yours? What's mine?

Draw from the resources of an infinite God. Prayer. Then they cried out to the Lord. They cried out to Yahweh, the one who alone is self-sufficient. There's our word trouble, kin, to the word in verse 2, enemy, and he delivered them out of their distresses.

That's their solution, falling down before God. What's your situation and are you practicing the solution? Prayer. And this is prayer. This is, I know I can't do it Lord.

Help me. Now let's look at their salvation. It's perfect. God's salvation is perfect. We'll look at verses 7 and 9 for this one.

He led them forth by the right way that they might go to a city for a dwelling place and then verse 9 where he satisfies the longing soul and feels the hungry soul with goodness. Notice the situation that they were in. They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way and then the parallel with the salvation the deliverance that God provides and he led them forth by the right way. Isn't that beautiful? The very problem that you and I have that causes us to come to the end of ourselves and cry out, God tailor makes the solution to be absolutely suitable for it.

And my friends, I hope my heart can't help but run to the gospel of grace when I think of that. When I think of the fact that I was born with a sinful nature and I could not please God and yet I was under the law and I was commanded you must obey every jot and tittle and this sinful nature would not allow me to do such And then I have texts that tell me like a Romans 8.3. For what the law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, and the Greek text just says God is the next word. God. God did.

Sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh. Purpose? So that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit. So here I was linked to Adam and all I could do was get condemnation and justfully so. Now united to another husband my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with the fruit that comes from that union.

It's Beautiful. I mean in every way sin has destroyed me my great king and his salvation has met me So it's just beautiful to see this and to see it laid out here in this physical providence that points as well to God's spiritual salvation as well. So they wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way and he led them forth by the right way. Notice they found no city. Why did he lead them forth in the right way?

What was his purpose? To give them all the provision they need. What goes hand-in-hand with that? They found no city to dwell in that they might go to a city for a dwelling place. Result?

For he satisfies the longing soul. This word actually means to run to and fro. I mean how many of us who came to Christ later in life saw so much in the world to try to feel the satisfied souls in the pig slop of this world only to come out lacking and wanting and then trying again fools and here he is opening our eyes leading us to what is food and deed, satisfies the longing soul. Remember what was going on with them? Hungry and thirsty, their souls fainted within them and now they're satisfied and their souls are filled with goodness.

And there is that word again of why we praise the Lord we give thanks to the Lord for his goodness. Isaiah 29 8 It shall be as when a hungry man dreams and look he eats, but he awakes and his soul is still empty. Or as when a thirsty man dreams and look he drinks, but he awakes and indeed he is faked and his soul still craves. So the multitude of all the nations shall be who fight against Mount Zion." Aren't you glad that's not how God treats his people? His provision is not a mirage.

It's true bread. It's true drink indeed. And his name is Jesus Christ, the bread of heaven, the true water of life. So what's their rightful response? And here it is.

And this is why I would title this thankful observations of providence. Oh that men would give thanks and it's literally let them give thanks let them who've experienced such deliverances as these give thanks to the Lord for his goodness and there's our word hesed again. Loyal love, mercy, grace, these type of thoughts come to your mind and for his wonderful works to the children of men. So this brings us back to where the psalm started on Hebrew dictionary as it defines this word, goodness here in our text, in God's relationship with the people or an individual faithfulness, goodness, graciousness. Yahweh is to be acknowledged for his acts of hesed or his goodness toward his people.

God's perfect salvation of his people is labeled a wonderful work and you can trace that to the Bible. The miracles in Egypt, all these things, All these kind of things are called wonderful works. This deliverance from certain death in a lost condition is a wonderful work of God. And literally it's to the sons of Adam. This is what God does for the sons of Adam.

Matthew Henry says, God's works, number one, God's works of mercy are wonderful works, works of wonderful power, considering the weakness of us, and of wonderful grace, considering the unworthiness of us, And of those he shows mercy to. Number two, it is expected of those who receive mercy from God that they return praise to him. And number three, we must acknowledge God's goodness to the children of men as well as to the children of God, as well as to others as well as to ourselves. So in conclusion I urge upon all of us as we've studied the doctrine of Providence and now look at it in his kind dealings with us and as he brings us low that he might bring us closer to himself. These are good things.

These are good things. So Psalm 107, 43 closes this way, whoever is wise will observe these things and they will understand the loving kindness of the Lord. This upcoming year and as you reflect back on this year past, this is what we need to see. The loving kindness of the Lord. This upcoming year and as you reflect back on this year past, this is what we need to see.

The loving kindness of the Lord. Loving kindness of the Lord to equip his church through his shepherds that he's placed here to help us know how to deal with this crazy year that passed. What a kindness of God. What a kindness of God. And If you multiply that individually in our families, I mean, one of the things that I regularly try to thank God for when I get home at the supper table is, Lord, thank you that we all survived this day and we're sitting around this table again together.

Because God not only helped me drive safe, and that's a miracle in itself, but all the people around me. And allowed me to make it home. And I didn't deserve a bit of it. So here is how we're going to do this. There are some practical things and we'll close with this.

This comes from a brother named Lang. He says, he who has enjoyed God's help should mark number one, in what distress he has been. Number two, how he has called to God. Number three, how God has helped him. Number four, what thanks he has returned.

And number five, what thanks he is yet bound to render. And it's in the practice and as I've done this and I know as you do this, as you recount these things in the great hand of God upon your life, doesn't it cause your heart to just burst? For such a one as I, you've been so kind. You've been over the top good and I don't deserve a bit of it and you deserve all glory and all praise and all honor. So shall we give it to him right now in prayer together?

Father we thank you. We thank you that we were once in a spiritual condition of absolutely lost and undone. We were like men and women and boys and girls at our wits end. And you did that on purpose to us. Oh, we're glad you did it.

Oh, we're glad because you brought us to the King. Oh, you brought us to Jesus. Jesus, thank you so much that you would do that for such rotten people as us. Lord, we're so grateful that you didn't leave us in our arrogance, oh God, against you and our prideful self-sufficiency. Lord, that you would do this to us, that you would bring us to the end of ourselves, that we might see the glory of you and know your great salvation.

Lord, you are so good. There's nobody like you. And Lord, we just come before your throne and we lay ourselves again at your feet and acknowledge God that we have to give you thanks like we should. Oh Lord if all this goodness of yours was based on how thankful we are God we wouldn't get a bit of it. But Lord it's based on you.

It has flowed because you are you. Oh what a God you are. Lord we pray that we would see it more clearly this upcoming year and that we would see it more clearly as we reflect upon the years went by and we would give glory to your name oh God for you are worthy and we ask it in your name Amen.