What we call ‘redemption’ occurs in two stages—one already achieved, but the other not yet, until the end of our lives. We are a pilgrim Church, and we still need to pass through the desert (v. 4). We remain, to some extent, bound by the chains of sin (v. 10), and we face a stormy journey (v. 23). However, the first stage of salvation guarantees the second, and we go through all of this confident in God’s protection (vv. 35-43).
The Gospels depict situations similar to those described by the psalm: the hungry fed by Jesus (cf. Mk 6:30-46); Jesus freeing the chained and manacled person possessed by the devil (cf. Mk 5:1-20); various illnesses healed (cf. Mk 6:53-56 and 7:24-37); the storm stilled (cf. Mk 4:35-41). Anyone praying with this psalm will gain wisdom, nourished by memory and ongoing reflection on the love God shows us throughout history and life.