Daily Devotion – February 3, 2021 – Dr. Pat Taylor Ellison
Psalm 147:1-11, 20c
147:1 Praise the LORD! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
147:2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
147:3 He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.
147:4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.
147:5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
147:6 The LORD lifts up the downtrodden; he casts the wicked to the ground.
147:7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre.
147:8 He covers the heavens with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, makes grass grow on the hills.
147:9 He gives to the animals their food, and to the young ravens when they cry.
147:10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;
147:11 but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.
147:20c Praise the LORD!
In this psalm we praise the Lord, for the Lord is not only the Master of the Universe but also the Comforter of the Brokenhearted.
I don’t know about you, but whenever I watch a movie about a very elevated person (queen, prince, company CEO, US Marshall – I do love Westerns), some of my favorite moments are those when the elevated person encounters a street urchin or a homeless person or a drunk. Those scenes are meant to reveal to us the elevated person’s deepest character. And often, if the elevated person spends too much time among other elevated people, sometimes those scenes are meant to ground the person, to teach her/him what life is really like and what is ultimately important.
The psalmist here is making the statement that, though God is truly God and commands all the stars and the crops and the animals, God has time to take care of wounded human beings whom God loves.
And what does God delight in? What gives God pleasure and fulfillment? Human beings’ respect (fear) and human beings putting their hope in the Lord. That’s so little to ask! That, if we believe God is God, we respect God and hope in his steadfast love.
Many have been the studies of our language and customs for the past 100 years that conclude that most North American people are now functional atheists. That is to say, while we may believe there is a creator God somewhere, that God is off watching from a distance and has nothing to do with life as it unfolds. God is not up to anything among us. I think that is probably what most of my friends would say.
So what about you and me? Do we believe that God binds up the brokenhearted, has understanding beyond measure, and gathers us and gives us work to do, connecting us with others in our mission? And do we believe that God is delighted by our respect and awe and by our hoping in God’s abundance?
Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for creating the universe and for caring what we do in it. Help us to know that you are present and active in life, and help us to always respect you and look to you with hope. Amen.
