Repetition for Emphasis

How often do we remind our children to use nice manners? How often do we reinforce their positive behavior to prompt them to continue? And how often do we say, "I love you," to make sure they can have no doubt of our feelings for them?

Repetition as a tool in parenting is not a new thing. Repetition is not new in teaching, and it's not new in writing or art.

As I learned in a design class in college, repetition is a principle of design. An element repeated throughout a design can aid its structure or provide a pattern.

As a former English teacher with a special love for poetry, I can't help noticing the design of poems, and the design of Psalm 107 is a great study of form. (What also makes this Psalm relevant to this blog is that it was written as a celebration of the Jews' return from their exile in Babylon; I'm not a Biblical scholar, but I'm thinking this is what I've written about with Jeremiah 29. Please correct me if I'm wrong!)

The Psalm has four sections, as well as an introduction and conclusion. Each section contains the repetition of two different verses--the major themes of the Psalm. But all around the repetition are the gritty and gorgeous details of specific stories of God's grace.

The repetition:
"Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress" ...
"Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love
and His wonderful deeds for men"
These strong themes of the Lord's deliverance, unfailing love, and wonderful deeds for men are evident time and time again.
But within the repetition are the sweet specifics of WHO cried out and was delivered:
--some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle; they were hungry and thirsty
--some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains
--some suffered affliction because of their rebellion
--some were lost at sea in a storm
Somewhere in these lost faces are people that look just like us.

And after we see the needs, we witness the boldness of the Lord's response with His wonderful deeds:
--He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. ... He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
--He brought them out of darkness and deepest gloom and broke their chains
--He sent forth His word and healed them; He rescued them from the grave.
--He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. ... He guided them to their desired haven.

I love that we have a God of repetition. I love that we have a God with new mercies every morning and for every need.