Psalm 107

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men,
15 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men,
21 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men.
31 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men.

In the summer of 2003 I went on a missions trip to Mexico with Southside Youth.  After much convincing on my part, we ended the trip by going to a Dodgers game.  My goal was to get a baseball.  I stood by the bullpen (that is where the pitchers warm up before the game) for close to 30 minutes.  I watched the pitcher, Hideo Nomo, throw ball after ball. The whole time I stood there watching I asked over and over again for a baseball.  When Hideo Nomo was ready to pitch he left the bullpen and headed for the field.  I asked again for a ball.  One of the coaches was throwing the ball to me when a little girl said “Mister, Mister, can I have a ball?”  The coach replied, “Let the girl have the ball.”  He threw the ball to the girl.  I thought about taking it from her and then running away.  I decided that wasn’t a good idea since the Dad was a large man.  As soon as she got the ball she put it under her seat and played with her doll.  I was choked.  She begged for a ball and didn’t even appreciate it when she got it.  She didn’t even understand the significance of that baseball.  People go to games for years and never get a baseball and yet she didn’t even care.  I knew if I had that ball I would have appreciated it.  It would have meant a lot more to me than it did to her.

It may not sound like I have moved on from that incident but I have.  I bring it up because I think that story parallels my relationship with God.  There is a definite theme in this Psalm 107.  The theme is thanking God.  So often I take God’s blessing for granted.  I expect so much from him and I forget I deserve nothing good from him at all.  I wonder if God feels the way I did during that baseball game.  “Brock, Brock, Brock, I have given you a place to live, a great car, great church, great family, great friends, a muscular frame and yet you still find things to complain about.”  Well, maybe I don’t have a muscular frame but I do have the other things.  My point is that too often I complain about what I don’t have instead of thanking God for what I do have.  I pray that we would all realize the only thing we deserve from God is a butt-kicking yet God chooses to bless us all the time. I also pray that we would learn to be thankful for what we have instead of ungrateful for what we don’t have.