33 He changes rivers into deserts,
    and springs of water into dry, thirsty land.
34 He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands,
    because of the wickedness of those who live there.
35 But he also turns deserts into pools of water,
    the dry land into springs of water.
36 He brings the hungry to settle there
    and to build their cities.
37 They sow their fields, plant their vineyards,
    and harvest their bumper crops.
38 How he blesses them!
    They raise large families there,
    and their herds of livestock increase.
- Psalm 107:33-38

Lately I just can’t shake the song “God, Turn It Around” by Jon Reddick.

The opening line goes like this:

“I’m praying God come and turn this thing around” and then onto “I’m calling on the name that changes everything…the name of Jesus”.

Sweet friends, as we’ve already seen in Psalm 107, God gathers His people from all manner of exile, from our enemies, from the wilderness, from darkness of our own making, from the foolishness of sin, from the vain strivings of worldly success.

But He doesn’t just gather us, like a collection of misfits.

No dear heart, He gathers us as His people, and then

HE TURNS THINGS AROUND.

He turns rivers into deserts to move us out of where we do not belong and pull us toward Himself, where we do belong.

He also turns deserts into pools to give us a safe place to live and He increases our fruitfulness, blesses us and those around us.

Beloved, know this, there is not one single situation in your life that God cannot turn around.

The turning-around may not look like what you expect.

From my own experience, God will turn a river into a desert; He will make you incredibly uncomfortable where you are to motivate you to move to where He is. He will also turn a desert into a pool of water; He will take a seemingly useless situation or hopeless cause and turn it into the most fruitful place you could ever be.

Our God turns things around so that His people can “praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them” (Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31).

What do you need God to turn around?

Cry out, “Lord, help!”.

He is faithful to answer.

How has God turned things around for you? for those you love?

Speak up! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!

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