O my soul,
What is the most truly overwhelming outworking of the Lord’s power?
Let’s discover that in the psalmist’s song of praise.
Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for he is beautiful, and a song of praise is fitting. The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. 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. The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.
― Psalm 147:1-6
Recall as I explained to Amy that he is beautiful, the alternative translation given in the ESV is the correct one, the reason why it is good to praise the Lord, why a song of praise is fitting. Just pause and rejoice in that for a moment. Praise the Lord, for he is beautiful! Yes indeed he is, in every way!
As we praise the infinitely powerful Creator God of the Universe, let’s consider for a moment that cosmic power which is his to deploy.
There’s a very real danger of feeling overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the universe he has created. Here in our psalm we read that he determines the number of the stars and he gives to all of them their names. In the creation account we read similarly.
And God made the two great lights⸺the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night⸺and the stars.
― Genesis 1:16
He made the sun and the moon, and by the way, he also made the stars.
There’s something of a by-the-way about the stars in our psalm too. Notice the order in which various praiseworthy attributes are listed.
He builds up the city of his people; he gathers the outcasts; he binds up the brokenhearted; oh, and by the way, he also determines the number of the stars.
O my soul, can you see the remarkable truth here? Let’s not be so dazzled by the enormity of the physical universe that we lose sight of what is really on the Lord’s heart⸺his beloved ones, and especially among them, the brokenhearted, whom he so tenderly and with great compassion binds up and does his miraculous work of healing.
Let’s instead be overwhelmed by this then, that the Lord has set his love on undeserving sinners, and especially on the outcast and the downtrodden and the brokenhearted. And furthermore that he works in them and for them with that very same cosmic power⸺a work of rescue and healing and liberation from the bonds of sin and lifting up of the humble.
And let’s remind ourselves of that passage in Isaiah’s prophecy from which Jesus read at the beginning of his earthly ministry, for we see there a similar priority.
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
― Luke 4:16-17
Reading directly from Isaiah, as Jesus did:
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favour, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion⸺to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.
― Isaiah 61:1-3
And continuing in Luke’s gospel,
And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
― Luke 4:20-21
Again, let’s be overwhelmed that the Creator God of the Universe cares quite so much about his beloved ones, his brokenhearted ones and those that are oppressed, that he sent his only son, Jesus. This was Jesus’ mission, and it remains so⸺to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favour, and to comfort all who mourn.
O my soul, do you mourn? Know that the Lord is making beauty from the ashes of your own life. Receive his wonderful comfort and be clothed in his garment of praise.
There’s one more thing to notice here. These oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord⸺did you notice who they are? They are in fact these very rescued ones, these liberated captives, these ones with a faint spirit. How is it possible that the bruised and broken and downtrodden become mighty oaks of righteousness in the Kingdom? It is simply because of the Lord’s great power in restoration and transforming grace⸺his cosmic power. And we are even told why, that is, why the Lord does this work of rescue and transformation and planting. It is so that he may be glorified. Praise and magnify his holy name!
The Lord is glorified when his character is revealed and made known to the nations⸺his character which is forgiveness and rescue and steadfast love and faithfulness, as he declared to Moses.
The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
― Exodus 34:5-7
It turns out that making the stars was indeed very much of a by-the-way!
O my soul, rest in the arms of your Heavenly Father who binds up the brokenhearted, and receive his rescue and healing and transforming grace! 🙏❤️