In the centre … hope in God

Psalm 147

¹ Praise the Lord!
How good to sing praises to our God!
How delightful and how fitting!
² The Lord is rebuilding Jerusalem
and bringing the exiles back to Israel.
³ He heals the brokenhearted
and bandages their wounds.
⁴ He counts the stars
and calls them all by name.
⁵ How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!
His understanding is beyond comprehension!
⁶ The Lord supports the humble,
but he brings the wicked down into the dust.

⁷ Sing out your thanks to the Lord;
sing praises to our God with a harp.
⁸ He covers the heavens with clouds,
provides rain for the earth,
and makes the grass grow in mountain pastures.
⁹ He gives food to the wild animals
and feeds the young ravens when they cry.
¹⁰ He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse
or in human might.
¹¹ No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him,
those who put their hope in his unfailing love.

¹² Glorify the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
¹³ For he has strengthened the bars of your gates
and blessed your children within your walls.
¹⁴ He sends peace across your nation
and satisfies your hunger with the finest wheat.
¹⁵ He sends his orders to the world—
how swiftly his word flies!
¹⁶ He sends the snow like white wool;
he scatters frost upon the ground like ashes.
¹⁷ He hurls the hail like stones.
Who can stand against his freezing cold?
¹⁸ Then, at his command, it all melts.
He sends his winds, and the ice thaws.
¹⁹ He has revealed his words to Jacob,
his decrees and regulations to Israel.
²⁰ He has not done this for any other nation;
they do not know his regulations.
Praise the Lord!

There are a number of extended sections in the Bible that beautifully and poetically declare the goodness and majesty of God, and this psalm is certainly one of my favourites, alongside Nehemiah 9, Psalm 19 and Colossians 1:15-20.

In Psalm 147, we have the declaration of God’s relationship to the broken-hearted, right next to His relationship with the stars, showing so beautifully that he is both immanent and transcendent.

The central verse, the one that sums up the whole passage, is verse 11: The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. I love that this shows that at the centre of all this declaration of his majesty, is the unifying principle that fearing God and placing hope in Him is our life’s aim and the reason for our praise!

Lord, may I fear You and place my hope in You always!

Written by Ps. Justin Ware