The Desired Haven
Introduction: The Illusion of Control
We live in an age that worships at the altar of human competence. We have our business plans, our five year projections, our insurance policies, and our advanced weather forecasting. We are men of action, men who do business, men who believe, deep down, that we are the captains of our own ships. We may give a polite nod to God on Sunday, but on Monday morning, we trust in our own skill, our own wisdom, and our own ability to navigate the "many waters" of life. We believe the sea is fundamentally predictable and that we have mastered its variables.
Psalm 107 is a bucket of cold, salt water in the face of such arrogance. The entire psalm is a series of four portraits of God's deliverance, showing His steadfast love for His people in various kinds of trouble. This fourth vignette, the story of the sailors, is a direct assault on the pride of the competent man. It teaches us a lesson we are loath to learn: our wisdom is finite, our control is an illusion, and our only hope, when the waves of God's providence rise, is to be found in a desperate cry to the one who commands the storm.
This is not just a story about ancient mariners. This is a story about you. It is a story about the Christian life, which is a journey across a treacherous sea to a desired haven. And the central lesson is this: God is not a passive observer of your journey. He is the one who sends the storm, and He is the one who stills it. He will lovingly and sovereignly shatter your self reliance in order to teach you to rely on Him alone. He will swallow up your wisdom so that you might learn His.
The Text
Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on many waters; They have seen the works of Yahweh, And His wondrous deeds in the deep. He spoke and set up a stormy wind, Which raised up the waves of the sea. They went up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; Their soul melted away in the calamity. They staggered and swayed like a drunken man, And all their wisdom was swallowed up. Then they cried to Yahweh in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses. He caused the storm to stand still, So that its waves were hushed. Then they were glad because they were quiet, So He led them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to Yahweh for His lovingkindness, And for His wondrous deeds to the sons of men! Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him at the seat of the elders.
(Psalm 107:23-32 LSB)
The Sovereign Storm (vv. 23-27)
First, we see the setup. These are not novices.
"Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on many waters; They have seen the works of Yahweh, And His wondrous deeds in the deep." (Psalm 107:23-24 LSB)
These are seasoned professionals. They are merchants, entrepreneurs, men of commerce. They are accustomed to the risks of the sea. They have seen God's power before; they have seen His "wondrous deeds." They have seen big waves, they have seen strange fish, they have seen glorious sunsets over the water. They respect the sea, but they believe they know how to handle it. They have their charts, their skills, their experience. They are confident.
But then God intervenes directly. The storm that is about to undo them is not a random meteorological event. It is a divine appointment.
"He spoke and set up a stormy wind, Which raised up the waves of the sea." (Psalm 107:25 LSB)
The same God who spoke and said "Let there be light" now speaks and says, in effect, "Let there be a storm." This is crucial. God is not the cosmic lifeguard who only shows up when things go wrong. He is the one who sovereignly ordains the crisis. He does not merely permit the storm; He commands it. He sends it. Why? Because the competence of these sailors has become a subtle form of idolatry. They trust in their own wisdom. So God decides to demonstrate what real power looks like.
The effect is total incapacitation.
"They went up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; Their soul melted away in the calamity. They staggered and swayed like a drunken man, And all their wisdom was swallowed up." (Psalm 107:26-27 LSB)
The description is terrifying. The ship is tossed violently, from the crest of a mountainous wave to the trough. This is not exhilarating; it is soul melting. Their courage fails. Their skill becomes useless. They, the masters of the sea, are stumbling around the deck like drunkards. And then we have that devastating phrase: "all their wisdom was swallowed up." The Hebrew literally means their wisdom was devoured. Everything they knew, every trick of the trade, every bit of experience, was rendered utterly worthless. The storm was bigger than their wisdom. This is what happens when the creature's pretense of autonomy collides with the Creator's absolute sovereignty. Man's wisdom is swallowed, consumed, and annihilated.
The Desperate Cry (v. 28)
When human wisdom is gone, there is only one option left. When you are at the end of your rope, you can finally see the hand that was holding it all along.
"Then they cried to Yahweh in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses." (Psalm 107:28 LSB)
Notice the word "Then." It was only after their souls had melted, after they were staggering like drunkards, after their wisdom was swallowed up, that they finally cried out to the Lord. As long as they had one more trick up their sleeve, one more maneuver to try, they relied on themselves. But God, in His mercy, sent a storm so great that it exhausted all their resources. The storm was an act of grace, designed to bring them to this very point of desperate, helpless prayer.
This is the fundamental pattern of salvation. God brings us into "trouble," into situations we cannot fix, to crush our pride and force us to our knees. We do not drift casually into the kingdom of God. We are brought there through the calamities that reveal our bankruptcy. The law does this work, showing us our sin. The trials of life do this work, showing us our weakness. God lovingly wrecks our plans and sinks our little ships of self righteousness so that we will cry out to Him. And the text says that when they cried, "He brought them out of their distresses." The answer to a genuine cry of desperation is always deliverance.
The Divine Calm (vv. 29-30)
The same God who commanded the storm now commands the peace. His power is demonstrated as much in the rescue as in the trial.
"He caused the storm to stand still, So that its waves were hushed. Then they were glad because they were quiet, So He led them to their desired haven." (Genesis 1:3 LSB)
The authority of God is absolute. He speaks, and the raging sea becomes as quiet as a sleeping child. The waves are "hushed." This is the very thing we see Jesus do in the Gospels. When His disciples, who were also experienced sailors, were terrified by a storm, He stood up and said, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm (Mark 4:39). The disciples were filled with awe, asking, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?" The answer is right here in Psalm 107. He is Yahweh, the God of Israel, incarnate.
And notice the result. They were "glad because they were quiet." There is a deep joy that comes only after the storm, a gladness in the quiet that can only be appreciated by those whose souls have melted in the calamity. But God's deliverance is not just a rescue from danger; it is a fulfillment of purpose. "He led them to their desired haven." He did not just save them from drowning and leave them adrift. He brought them all the way home. God always finishes what He starts. His salvation is not just a pardon from hell; it is a pilgrimage to heaven. He brings us to our desired haven.
The Public Thanksgiving (vv. 31-32)
The story does not end with the sailors safe in port, counting their money and congratulating themselves on their survival. Deliverance of this magnitude demands a response. And that response must be public.
"Let them give thanks to Yahweh for His lovingkindness, And for His wondrous deeds to the sons of men! Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him at the seat of the elders." (Psalm 107:31-32 LSB)
This is a command. "Let them give thanks." Gratitude is not optional. And it is not to be a private, sentimental feeling. It must be declared. They are to give thanks for two things: His lovingkindness (His hesed, His covenant faithfulness) and His wondrous deeds. They are to tell the story of what God has done.
And where should they tell it? The psalmist is very specific. "In the assembly of the people," which is the congregation of worship, the church. And "at the seat of the elders," which was at the city gate, the place of civil government and commerce. This is breathtakingly comprehensive. The praise of God for His salvation is not to be confined to the four walls of a sanctuary. It is to be declared in the church, and it is to be declared in the public square. The elders of the city need to hear that it is Yahweh who controls the storms of life, the storms of business, and the storms of nations. God's wondrous deeds are to be the foundation of our worship and the cornerstone of our civilization.
Our testimony is not for ourselves. It is for the "sons of men." We are to be witnesses to the world of the God who saves. When God brings you through a storm, whether it is financial, or medical, or relational, your duty is to stand up in the assembly and at the seat of the elders and declare that it was the Lord's doing. This is how the kingdom advances. Not through quiet, private piety, but through loud, public, grateful praise.
Conclusion
Every one of us is on a voyage. We have our plans, our cargo, our destination. And we can be sure that at some point, God will speak, and a stormy wind will rise. He will do it to show you that He is God and you are not. He will do it to swallow up your pride and your flimsy wisdom.
When that storm comes, do not despair. It is a severe mercy. It is designed to make you cry out to Him. And when you do, He will not fail. He will hush the waves, and He will bring you into a quiet gladness you could not have known otherwise. He will not abandon you mid-ocean; He will see you safely to your desired haven.
The ultimate storm was the storm of God's wrath against our sin, a storm that no human wisdom could navigate. But Jesus Christ, on the cross, took the full force of that tempest upon Himself. He went down to the depths for us. And because He did, all who cry out to Him are brought out of their distresses and are guaranteed safe passage to the final haven of the New Jerusalem. Therefore, let us not be silent. Let us give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness, and let us exalt Him in the church, and before the watching world.