The Wild Places - Introduction

Monday, March 11

We begin our guide with our longest passage – a poem of encounter and discovery in wild places. 

Psalm 107 (CEB) “Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,         because his faithful love lasts forever!” 2 That’s what those who are redeemed by the Lord say,     the ones God redeemed from the power of their enemies, 3     the ones God gathered from various countries,     from east and west, north and south.4 Some of the redeemed had wandered into the desert, into the wasteland.     They couldn’t find their way to a city or town. 5 They were hungry and thirsty;     their lives were slipping away. 6 So they cried out to the Lord in their distress,     and God delivered them from their desperate circumstances. 7     God led them straight to human habitation. 8 Let them thank the Lord for his faithful love     and his wondrous works for all people, 9     because God satisfied the one who was parched with thirst,     and he filled up the hungry with good things!10 Some of the redeemed had been sitting in darkness and deep gloom;     they were prisoners suffering in chains 11     because they had disobeyed God’s instructions     and rejected the Most High’s plans. 12 So God humbled them with hard work.     They stumbled, and there was no one to help them. 13 So they cried out to the Lord in their distress,     and God saved them from their desperate circumstances. 14 God brought them out from the darkness and deep gloom;     he shattered their chains. 15 Let them thank the Lord for his faithful love     and his wondrous works for all people, 16     because God has shattered bronze doors     and split iron bars in two!17 Some of the redeemed were fools because of their sinful ways.     They suffered because of their wickedness. 18 They had absolutely no appetite for food;     they had arrived at death’s gates. 19 So they cried out to the Lord in their distress,     and God saved them from their desperate circumstances. 20 God gave the order and healed them;     he rescued them from their pit. 21 Let them thank the Lord for his faithful love     and his wondrous works for all people. 22 Let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices     and declare what God has done in songs of joy!23 Some of the redeemed had gone out on the ocean in ships,     making their living on the high seas. 24 They saw what the Lord had made;     they saw his wondrous works in the depths of the sea. 25 God spoke and stirred up a storm     that brought the waves up high. 26 The waves went as high as the sky;     they crashed down to the depths. The sailors’ courage melted at this terrible situation. 27     They staggered and stumbled around like they were drunk.     None of their skill was of any help. 28 So they cried out to the Lord in their distress,     and God brought them out safe from their desperate circumstances. 29 God quieted the storm to a whisper;     the sea’s waves were hushed. 30 So they rejoiced because the waves had calmed down;     then God led them to the harbor they were hoping for. 31 Let them thank the Lord for his faithful love     and his wondrous works for all people. 32 Let them exalt God in the congregation of the people     and praise God in the assembly of the elders.33 God turns rivers into desert,     watery springs into thirsty ground, 34     fruitful land into unproductive dirt,         when its inhabitants are wicked. 35 But God can also turn the desert into watery pools,     thirsty ground into watery springs, 36     where he settles the hungry. They even build a city and live there! 37     They plant fields and vineyards     and obtain a fruitful harvest. 38 God blesses them, and they become many.     God won’t even let their cattle diminish. 39 But when they do diminish—     when they’re brought down by oppression, trouble, and grief— 40     God pours contempt on their leaders,