Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble…. (Psalm 107:2, ESV).
We are currently busy opening a golf retreat venue in Alabama. We named it The Master’s Inn. We did not steal the name from Augusta. The Master is Jesus Himself.
To explain the Retreat experience, we produced a two-minute video (www.themastersinn.org) which explains some of the “R” words that are possibilities if you come to The Master’s Inn.
We start with Retreat, but many more flood into the mind. Rest. Relax. Recreate. Rejoice. Restore. Renew. Reflect. Revive. Rebuild. Reconcile. Reconsider. Refill. Repair. Remember. Remain. Retire. Refire. Return. Reconnect. Recenter. Receive. Recalibrate. Repent. Resettle. Reveal. Respond. Rescue. Maybe even Resurrection…
But the great patriarch Job loved the word REDEEM, or even better REDEEMER. The legal dictionary tells us it is a concept in commercial law, but of course, in our world of faith, it has something to do with being delivered from sin and its consequences, even in the Old Testament. Job loved his Redeemer long before the historical death and resurrection of Jesus:
“Oh, that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book! Oh, that with an iron pen and lead they were engraved in the rock forever!
For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth!” (Job 19:23-25 ESV).
As we enter into this Lenten season, we agree with Job and celebrate that our Redeemer lives!
But how will people know this great truth? Well, the Psalmist makes it simple.
“Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has Redeemed from trouble.” (Psalm 107:2 ESV).
Let the redeemed of the Lord, “say so”. Maybe you are timid of heart and don’t like to talk much; I would say, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say something!”
God’s plan to tell His Story is for followers like us to tell our story, or sometimes tell someone else’s story. On the golf course, it may be something simple like, “Did you hear what Scottie Scheffler said in his interview after he won the British Open?” Or maybe you tell someone else’s story at your club to open a door to an invitation to your Links Player group.
Sadly, far too many are what I call “Miranda Christians”. You know the spiel if you’ve watched too many cop shows, “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you…”
But listen carefully, believers in Jesus do NOT have the right to remain silent. Indeed, Romans 10 gives us the simplest definition of salvation. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-10).
It is a two-part test! Believe in your heart? OK. Now, say something!
Declare with your mouth that “Jesus is Lord”. This sounds intimidating for many, but maybe our silence is just a sign that this ‘good news’ hasn’t been all that good for you.
Can you imagine being up close and in person when Bubba Watson hooked his wedge out of the trees in the playoff to win the Masters? Wouldn’t you spend the rest of your life saying, “I was there. Let me tell you what I saw.” How would you not ‘say something’?
And likewise, our role in God’s plan to redeem the world is to at least “Say Something”.
Today, I invite you to remember that you are Redeemed. Now, let’s go “Say Something to Someday”.
Prayer: Oh God, send me somebody today who needs the good news that our Redeemer lives. I promise- I will say so!