Psalm 147:1–20 (ESV):
Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
6 The Lord lifts up the humble;
he casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre!
8 He covers the heavens with clouds;
he prepares rain for the earth;
he makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He gives to the beasts their food,
and to the young ravens that cry.
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.
14 He makes peace in your borders;
he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
15 He sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool;
he scatters frost like ashes.
17 He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;
who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word, and melts them;
he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
19 He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and rules to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his rules.
Praise the Lord!
God is in control. He knows what He is doing. You cannot see the fullness of His plans, but you can know the truth that God sees, hears and knows what is going on, for He is ‘abundant in power’ and ‘his understanding is beyond measure’. So if you ever feel confused or overwhelmed by what is happening, that is to be expected! You do not have the mind of God and so cannot begin to comprehend the complexities of what He is doing, but, you can learn to trust Him because God is good, powerful, and He cares of His people.
However God does not admire or appreciate the same things as you do, ‘his delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man’. He is not looking at the same things for beauty and strength. Instead, ‘the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love’. God does not take joy in things that look good to the eye, or even that are useful, but he enjoys people whose hearts are for Him. Those who trust Him even when life is confusing and overwhelming, and when they cannot anticipate the outcome. Those who hope in God, honour and follow Him when a simpler, nicer solution seems to present itself. People like this are who God ‘takes pleasure in’. Is that you?
Are you trusting God and looking for the things that God admires? Or are you busy looking with human eyes for beauty and strength? It is important to think about the things that you get excited about and admire. Do those things turn you towards God the creator, or towards those things? God made them all. If you want God to look at you with pleasure, think about what is capturing your heart and attention. Is it God, or are there other things that captivate you? For me, I love being in nature, being outside, seeing the trees, watching the rabbits and hearing the birds. I love it because it is exciting, I am often surprised by what I experience, and I see so clearly God’s hand in nature and creation. Nature is beautiful and strong, and points to our fascinating, imaginative and powerful Creator. From the magnificence of an ancient tree to the new shoots of spring, gigantic mountains and clear streams. When i see the outside world, i find it easy to see God. For nature, as wonderful and complex as it is, is not something to be worshipped in itself, even the strength of a horse (v10), but it demonstrates the incredible beauty of the One who made it, Almighty God. In the things of this world that you admire, do you look for the hand of the Creator behind them? This is how you can admire and appreciate things of this world, and honour God in doing so, by looking at the One who made them.
God can build and create things, and destroy them in an instant. So in the enjoyment of life, do not cast all of your hope in created things or people as they are temporary, but seek God and ‘hope in his steadfast love’. His love and presence will not fade or change, so put your trust in Him as He is eternal and secure. Do not simply seek the temporal pleasure of earthly things or people, but allow God’s steadfast love, power and delight to be your source of joy and strength. Trust in Him and obey Him for as you do, you can even give joy back to God by becoming one who ‘the Lord takes pleasure in’.
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