THE PSALMS – A JOURNEY IN WORSHIP AND FAITH - January 10, 2015 - Day 147 - Psalm 147

Sometimes it is hard to just keep going. Mornings come and it is hard to get out of bed. Life can wear you out. It can seem as if the world has just broken us down. Sometimes it is hard to find a way to praise God and be thankful. Psalm 147 reminds us of why we should praise God.

Psalm 147:1
Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.

It pleases God to hear our praise.

Psalm 147:2-3
The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Praising God is the best way to react to our feelings of despair.

Psalm 147:4-5
He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.

Sometimes things seem hopeless. But when we sit back and ponder who God is then we can begin to believe in the hope He offers. In the modern world we live in our cities and towns light up the night. This keeps a veil over the stars. When I was a boy you could lay down and the grass and stare up at the night sky and see an unbelievable vast array of stars. Now you need to get away from the city to see this. Man estimates how many stars there are. God knows the name of each and every one. If He can do that then He certainly knows what ails you.

Psalm 147:6
The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.

Unlike modern psychology which preaches self, God wants us to know we have no right to self esteem for everything good comes from Him. Humble yourself before Him and you will find joy.

Psalm 147:7-9
Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre! He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills. He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry.

Again the psalmist reminds us it is God to whom we owe our praise.

Psalm 147:10-11
His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.

The days we live in are violent and evil seems to be thriving. So people buy guns. Nations build armies. God is not impressed. God is not impressed with how much we can bench press or how fast we can run. He laughs at the men who think their mighty tanks and their fast jets are what rule the world. In reality God is sovereign and it is He who allows governments and nations to rule.

Psalm 147:12-15
Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you. He makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat. He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.

The only peace we shall ever know is His peace. This world was made by His Word and it is sustained by His Word.

Psalm 147:16-18
He gives snow like wool; he scatters hoarfrost like ashes. He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold? He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.

He even controls the weather. He does it by His Word.

Psalm 147:19-20
He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his rules. Praise the LORD!

Only one literal nation will God preserve and that will be Israel. In Romans Paul explains how God gave them the very oracles of God. But Jesus has a bride. It is the church. It is our job as His bride to live for Him. We are to submit to Christ and to those who have humbled themselves before Him come the greatest blessings of all. Praise the Lord for He is worthy. Praise the Lord for it pleases Him.