Oh friends I am so excited to gush about one of the (in my opinion) most powerful and beautiful psalms. Within it you see our weakness, our deep reliance on a mighty God and you also see His response to our weaknesses- He will care for us, He will rescue us and bless us.
It is easy to believe God doesn’t care about you in the midst of great misery or pain. But that same misery and pain leads you to a closer walk with Jesus. God’s chief desire is not to be our puppetmaster, moving our strings and dictating our emotions for his pleasure. God LOVES His children. In our neediness and weakness God becomes our full provision and power, drawing us closer to Him.
In 1588 King Philip II of Spain wanted to overtake England from his Sister in Law, Queen Elizabeth I. Phillip sent Medina Sidonia with a massive fleet that was seven miles long ship to ship. 26,000 men strong against England’s smaller boats and smaller army. The Spanish Armada was the greatest army at the time and there was no question who would win. But- the wind. The Spanish sailed on fortresses on sea- massive ships designed to move with the wind, not against. The tiny English ships moved with AND against winds. The winds carried the Spanish straight for England, and then turned. The winds were against them after they arrived to battle and the English took advantage. They set fire to their own ships and sent them straight into the Spanish Armada’s fleets. The Spanish cut anchor lines in panic and the winds shifted their ships north where they were bashed against Ireland and Scotland’s coasts. They came home with one third of their men while England lost only one hundred in battle. If the Spanish had won, the mighty British Empire would have been Spanish. We might be speaking Spanish and historically been predominantly Catholic. It is also important to note that in the next ten years, two more Spanish Armadas were sent only to be battered by storms and have to retreat.
Why do I mention this? Because I think it’s fascinating…. :) and also because of the English insistence that God was on their side and turned the wind to ensure their victory. Englishmen quoted Psalm 147 constantly- it was even printed on coins and medals after their success- “He makes His wind blow and the waters flow”. God’s power is infinite, as is His love for His people.
As you read through the Psalm, look for the contrast of our weaknesses and God’s mighty strength.
Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant, 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.
Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre!
*God gathers us to Himself as His children and in our specific ailments He heals us. This is amazing when you read the next line which shows He knows the number of billions of stars and has named them all- yet He cares for our individual hurts. God is infinitely powerful and also infinitely loving.
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.
*God gives food to the beasts and the raven who cries- why are ravens mentioned so specifically when the more general word ‘beasts’ comes before? Ravens were deemed unclean to eat in the time period- they were the outcast of the animal world, and were a nuisance to people yet God feeds them just like other animals. He provides for the most ridiculed outcast.
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.
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.
He gives snow like wool;
he scatters frost 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 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!
*This portion literally lists God’s gifts- He strengthens you, He blesses you, He gives you peace, He provides for you. And then, my favorite part of this Psalm- the beauty of “He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost 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.” Isn’t the word picture here beautiful?
Have you ever felt scared during an especially harsh ice storm in winter? I know in Boone there were many times I could not rely on my skill to get somewhere- I prayed for God to steady my hands and heart. The reality of me being very small and weak was clear on days the wind howled and ice was literally hurled from the sky. But then- He sends word and melts the ice and snow. In our times of panic, fear, weakness, with a word God can rescue us.
God’s rescuing and healing does not always look the way we want it to however. His plan is not made in order to make us happy or comfortable. His plan is to bring the nations to Himself. When we went through the months of consistently hearing nothing had changed with our baby and that we would lose him, we could’ve lamented that God wasn’t rescuing us, or our baby. That He wasn’t healing. But God did so much more- He brought us (and many others through Hayden) into a closer, more intimate relationship with Himself. He more than healed my baby boy- He allowed Hayden to never know human sorrow or misery or pain- but to only know love, and to go from living to being fully alive with Christ.
In his book “The Pleasures of God,” John Piper says “Surely it is because our fear reflects the greatness of his power and our hope reflects the bounty of his grace.” Our fear of God and our hope in God reveals His glory.
Lord, may we praise You in our joy-filled days and in our grief-stricken days. Thank You that You provide, bless, love, and protect us. May we not fear the unknown or the hard circumstances we go through but instead pray we use it as You ask- to point others toward Your holiness and to reveal Your glory. We long to know You more, serve You more, and to be more like You.
Amen.
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