Counting and Recounting

Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord. Psalm 107:43 (ESV)

I remember when my kids were learning to count. Not only did they skip numbers but they also made up numbers–eleventeen, twentyteen.  Such precious memories, although I was very glad they weren't balancing the checkbook!

I loved the sound of their little voices as they would stumble trying to remember which number came next. I reveled in how they would repeat a number with such gusto and confidence, even though it wasn't anywhere close to the next sequential number in their counting efforts. I just loved to hear them count because I knew they were learning about the world in which they lived. 

What if God, our Father, loves to hear us count? What if He loves to hear our voices as we count all the times He has been so faithful to us, even if we stumble in recalling them?

Psalm 107:43 says, "Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord."

Let's breakdown this verse to see if we can answer the questions just posed.

First, it's important to make note of the context of Psalm 107 so we can better understand our key verse today. The forty-two verses prior to our key verse speak to God's enduring love and faithfulness to His people. It recounts stories of people being delivered from being lost in the wilderness (Hello, Israelites), imprisoned, sick, or caught in raging storms at sea.

After recounting these stories of deliverance, the psalmist addresses the wise by telling them to "attend to these things" and "consider the steadfast love of the Lord." Basically, he is telling us to consider all the times God delivered His people and the unchanging love He has towards them. But not everyone will seek to understand this truth–only the wise.

Now, there's a difference between being smart and being wise. In my humble opinion, being smart doesn't automatically make one wise. According to Merriam-Webster, we are smart when we have or show a high degree of mental ability or intelligence. "Wise" is defined as having a deep understanding, keen discernment, and a capacity for sound judgment. I like to define wisdom as knowing when to apply what we have learned.

Simply put, the psalmist is saying, "Look, I have literally spelled out for you so many instances of God's love, mercy, and faithfulness in rescuing His people from various hardships. You are wise to think about how these stories of deliverance apply to your own life."

But do we? Do we ever consider that the God active in the lives of those in the Bible is the same God active in our lives today? I know I can forget that truth, especially when I am armpit deep in a pit; even though I have been delivered in miraculous ways in the past.

I would be remiss if I didn't share a couple of those times of miraculous delivery with you now. Please know that I don't share these because they're about me. I share them because they're about Him.

At fifteen years old I was sexually assaulted while a gun was held to my head. Yet my God delivered me back home after causing the man to lose the gun. I can't explain it other than I know it was God.

During a hospitalization wherein my daughter Jamie almost died, it became apparent that she would need a portacath placed, but there were no surgeons available. Minutes after being told that her surgery couldn't be done that day, a transport team walked into her room to take her to the OR. With the port in place, she received a pint of my husband's blood and was discharged three days after being admitted.

Without the port they couldn't access her veins for the transfusion. Being able to use my husband's blood assured us of no risk of other infections, which is what almost killed her because she was receiving chemo at the time to fight the cancer she had. Behind the scenes God was making a way for a surgeon to take on Jamie's case when we were told there was no way. He also prepared the way for my husband to be able to donate his blood right there in the hospital. Without God's deliverance she wouldn't be here today.

Sharing these accounts of God's unfailing love with you remind me that He is indeed the same God who was active in the lives of those in the Bible and He is active in my life as well. I hope that it also assures you of the same thing.

So, to answer the questions above, I would point us all to Psalm 107:43 every single time. Not because counting all the times He has delivered us or shown us His steadfast love is an act of obedient record keeping, but because it is an act of personal memory keeping. This personal memory keeping causes us to respond to God with gratitude. Gratitude then deepens our relationship with our Heavenly Father and provokes us to recount to others the steadfast love of our Lord.

I'm calling Psalm 107:43 the "Wise and Rise" verse because the psalmist says we are wise to consider the steadfast love of the Lord AND in doing so it gives rise to gratitude.

Do you ever recount the countless times God has delivered you at unexpected times in unexpected ways? There's someone out there who will be grateful to hear what you have to share...about Him. And just maybe that somebody is you.