"Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is comely.
"The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.
"He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
"He telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names.
"Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite."
(Psalm 147:1-5)
These verses in Psalm 147 have encouraged me many times, especially verses 3 and 4. Here is what William MacDonald wrote about the five verses I have quoted:
"He is the God of restoration. Here He is praised for rebuilding Jerusalem and regathering Israel's [exiles] from their captivity. The fact that a nation or individual has failed does not mean that God is finished with them. In His gracious ministry of restoring, He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. And since He numbers the stars and calls each of them ... by name, it must follow that He numbers His people and knows each one individually and intimately.
"The way in which the tender compassion of the Lord is placed beside His infinite knowledge in verses 3 and 4 caused Archibald G. Brown to exclaim,
"O Holy Spirit, with lowly reverence we venture yet to say that never hast Thou collected and put side by side two more exquisite statements than these: 'He healeth the broken in heart, and knoweth the number of the stars."
M.P. Ferguson wrote:
"With His healing hand on a broken heart,
And the other on a star,
Our wonderful God views the miles apart,
And they seem not very far.
There is hope and help for our sighs and tears,
For the wound that stings and smarts;
Our God is at home with the rolling spheres,
And at home with broken hearts."
Hi Mrs. T,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post. I have been reading through the prophets in my Quiet Time and have been amazed at God's forgiveness and desire to restore fellowship when we stray.
Recently, I've also been reminded that God has not only saved me, He loves me and cares about me. Saving me from hell would have been enough but He desires fellowship with me.
It's just so neat that you would put a post up here that reinforces what I've been learning. :) Thanks again!
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that this post was a blessing to you. These verses have meant a lot to me for a long time now, but lately they have been more meaningful than ever before. Thanks for letting me know how much it meant to you!
God bless,
Mrs.T