1   O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. 2  Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those he redeemed from trouble  3  and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south 4  Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town; 5  hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.  6  Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress;  7 he led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town. 8  Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.  9  For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things. 

Psalm 107:1-9

What does steadfast love look like?

Receiving and helping those who have wandered away and chosen desert wastelands instead of the abundance of God’s promised land is one way.

We are unable to change other people. We can’t fix them either! No amount of our cajoling or guilting will make a difference. Get this…even love has its limits of impact…until they are ready. And then it will make all the difference in the world.

The psalmist says that “then” the ones who chose the desert cried out to the Lord out of their trouble and God did not ignore them. The abundance of God’s patience can never be overestimated in terms of length or power. God’s perspective is an eternal one, so what is a few decades of meandering through the wilderness when eternity is at stake?

On this Monday, I invite you to remain patient as the Father in heaven is patient. For we all most certainly have people in our lives that we pray will come out of the desert wastelands. The greatest gift we can give is to continue to pray, wait, and prepare for the day when the call comes and they say, “I’m ready to come home.” In that day we need to be ready to satisfy their thirst and fill their hunger with the good things of God and not our “I told you so” or “What took you so long.”

O, give thanks to God for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever.