Search and Rescue Stories is a website that captures the accounts of people who have participated in search and rescue missions or of the victims who were dramatically rescued from dangerous and life-threatening situations. There you’ll read nail-biting and heart-warming stories of the rescuers and the rescued.

Psalm 107 is a song of thanksgiving (Psalm 107:1,22) that recounts how four groups of people were helped in their distress (Psalm 107:4,10,17,23). They were facing adversity, jeopardy, despair, and danger because of their own carelessness (Psalm 107:4), foolishness (Psalm 107:11), sinfulness (Psalm 107:17), and recklessness (Psalm 107:23). “ ‘LORD, help!’ they cried in their trouble.” And they received divine help: “He saved them from their distress” (Psalm 107:6,13,19,28).

But God didn’t merely save them. He did a whole lot more. “He led them straight to safety” (Psalm 107:7,30). “He [satisfied] the thirsty and [filled] the hungry with good things” (Psalm 107:9). “He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom” (Psalm 107:14). “He broke down their prison gates” (Psalm 107:16). “He sent out his word and healed them” (Psalm 107:20). “He calmed the storm . . . and stilled the waves” (Psalm 107:29). Persistently calling on the worshipers to “praise the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done” (Psalm 107:8,15,21,31), the psalmist offered an invitation: “Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the LORD” (Psalm 107:43).

We have all wandered away, been lost (Psalm 107:4), imprisoned by our sin (Psalm 107:10), in danger of death (Psalm 107:18), helpless and hopeless (Psalm 107:26-27)—but we have also been rescued! “Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you” (Psalm 107:2). You have a story to tell.

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Luke 8:22-56