Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!

Psalm 107:1-9 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
² Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary
³ And gathered from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.

⁴ They wandered in the wilderness in a desert region;
They did not find a way to an inhabited city.
⁵ They were hungry and thirsty;
Their soul fainted within them.
⁶ Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He delivered them out of their distresses.
⁷ He led them also by a straight way,
To go to an inhabited city.
⁸ Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonders to the sons of men!
⁹ For He has satisfied the thirsty soul,
And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.  Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary.”  We as believers should heed the call of the psalmist. The world and the adversary try to silence our words of thanksgiving and praise. They say it is offensive for us to thank our God. We now live in a country where it is more acceptable to spew vile filth from your mouth that to say the words God bless you. In the name of art the cross can be degraded and defiled; but in the name of Christ it is offensive if it is on a believers desk or computer screen. These are the times we live in. We can and should continue to stand for our right to express and celebrate our faith; but we also need to make a choice, we need to decide if nothing changes or things get worse, who will we choose to offend, the world or God?

Revelation 12:8 says: And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.     You will sometimes see or hear this verse shared as an encouragement for believers to share their stories and the testimonies of what God has done for them. It is good for us to do that. It is in part is what the psalmist is encouraging also. The Bible is filled with the accounts of God’s miraculous works, His protection, His provision and His deliverance of His people. Colossians 3:16 says:   Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.    Let’s look again though at what Revelation 12:8 says, in particular as it relates to the time in which we are living, a time when it is becoming unacceptable to share the testimony of God’s goodness.   “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” Regardless of what the world believes or says, regardless of what they may do to us, we need to share the testimony of God’s goodness. We need to share the power of the cross and stand and declare the overcoming power of the blood of the Lamb. We need to love God and tell of His lovingkindness, not loving our own lives, even to death. That’s really the worst that the world can do to us. The psalmist says: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me (Psalm 23:4) If we are in Christ His promise to us is that: “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”(Matthew 28:20)  If He is with us and we are in Him then we, like the psalmist should not fear death, it is after all merely a shadow; it has no substance, no eternal power over us.

Hebrews 13:5-8 says: He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” ⁶ so that we confidently say,“The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”… Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

I will,  give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
As one who has been redeemed of the Lord I will say so, I am one Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary. Thank You Lord! Bless Your name forever! I will not be silenced. My God, my Redeemer Jesus Christ is worthy to be praised.    I will praise the LORD as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.(Psalm 146:2)    If they should take my life,      "As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth. 26"Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God; 27Whom I myself shall behold, And whom my eyes will see and not another. My heart faints within me!(Job 19:25-27)   I will thank the Lord and praise His name both now and forever. I will, give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! Amen.