The Psalmist then lists several cases of people redeemed by the Lord.
First there were those wandering in the desert wastelands, with nowhere to go. This is probably not a reference to Israel's wanderings in the desert, as the context seems different.They could not seem to find a way out, and their strength was gone. So they called on the Lord and He rescued them. Note that He led them by a straight way. Before God came to them they were utterly lost and confused, they could see no way out. When God did come to them a straight way became apparent. When the Lord comes into our lives seemingly intractable problems and situations can suddenly become clear with a solution. Such people are to give thank to the Lord for his wonderful deeds on behalf of man. This is a refrain of this Psalm. God does wonderful deeds on our behalf. God satisfies the hungry and thirsty.
Next there are those who sat in dark dungeons. They were there because they had rebelled against the Lord. Sometimes (often?) our troubles are a direct result of rebellion against God, of refusing to follow His ways. See the pattern here. They rebelled against God. God punished them. Then they called out to God. This is the pattern of the gospel. Repent and believe is the basic message that John the Baptist, Jesus, and Peter all preached. We need to acknowledge our sin, seek forgiveness and turn back to God, then we will be saved. So even if we are in deep trouble because of our own sin, we should abandon our pride and turn to God. Then God will break the chains that bind us, He will set us free. He breaks down gates of bronze and breaks chains of iron. We can be in situations that seem to have such a strong hold over our lives, but the Lord can break every strong hold, if only we will turn to Him.
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