Everyone who cried out was lifted by God’s lovingkindness. None deserved it. None knew how to receive it. None could have done it themselves. They simply, humbly cried out, and God lovingly, kindly helped them.

One of the richest words used in the Old Testament Hebrew is “hesed” or “chesed,” often translated “lovingkindness.” It is used 250 times in the Old Testament and most often used to describe God Himself. It is defined this way:

LOYAL LOVE: an unfailing kind of love, kindness, or goodness, often used of God’s love that is related to faithfulness to his covenant. Mercy, compassion.

It is not merely love, but loyal love; not merely kindness, but dependable kindness; not merely affection, but affection that has committed itself.

Psalm 107 calls us to “consider the lovingkindness of the Lord” (Vs. 43). Each paragraph illustrates God’s lovingkindness to a different group of people, always people who did not deserve it. See if these describe you right now or have in the past.

The Wandering

Those who “wandered in the wilderness in a desert region … they were hungry and thirsty and their soul fainted within them” (Vs. 4-5).

The Imprisoned

“Those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in misery and chains because they had rebelled against the words of God and spurned the counsel of the Most High. Therefore He humbled their heart with labor” (Vs. 10-12).

The Foolish

“Fools, because of their rebellious way and because of their iniquities” (Vs. 17).

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