Psalm 107 is a great song of thanksgiving, and as we have said, it is often identified as “The Pilgrims’ Psalm,” for they felt that it so well described their own experiences with God. In their midst of all their hardships, He faithfully provided homes for the homeless (v 1-9) along with freedom for the captives (v 10-16). But He also provided healing for the sick (v 17-22). The psalmist describes illness so severe that it brought those afflicted “near to the gates of death” (v 18). This too reminded the Pilgrims of their difficult journey to America. Four of the original band of 102 passengers died enroute. Half of the remainder died in that first cruel winter. Others recovered from sickness, praising God that “He sent out His word and healed them” (v 20). All physical suffering is ultimately a result of our sinful state, part of the curse of living in a fallen world. But we should never assume that sickness, injury, or disability is a result of an individual’s personal sin. Jesus made that clear when His disciples had assumed otherwise (John 9:1-3). At the same time, the Bible indicates that sickness could be a result of personal sin, so any time we are sick, we should thoroughly examine ourselves, confessing known sins. In the case of Psalm 107, this is “not the kind of sickness that carries no blame,” for the text “points to their trouble as self-inflicted…. (It) could well call to mind in modern times the drug-addict, but only as one example of man’s perennial determination to get hurt” (Derek Kidner). The picture here is of people who have ruined themselves. They are sick “because of their iniquities.” Bluntly stated, their suffering is a result of “their sinful ways,” for they had become “fools” (v 17). In Scripture, the fool is not someone who is unintelligent, but perverse. This is a moral category, not an intellectual one. Self-absorbed and self-deceived, we begin to self-destruct. Both spiritual and physical health declines through foolish lifestyle choices. But whether or not our sickness is a result of personal sin, we cry out to the LORD in our trouble, and He graciously delivers us from our distress (v 19). Since His Word is the agent of our healing, we understand that God cares most of all about our spiritual health. And since we are “healed” and not merely forgiven, we understand that God will free us from the effects of sin as we learn to apply His gospel to our hearts (v 20). Despite our pardon, some of us limp along, half-crippled by our fears, anger, and self-pity. May God help us to trust in His grace and receive His full healing—mind, will, and emotions. For further meditation: