Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful. The Lord builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel. He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of stars; He calls them all by name. {Psalm 147:1-4}
This psalm might have been used to celebrate the rebuilt walls of Jerusalem. Ezra and Nehemiah chronicle this portion of Israel’s history. The love of Jerusalem can been seen in both Old Testament as well as in the New Testament. If I forget you, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget its skill! If I do not remember you, Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth–If I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy. {Psalm 137:5-6}
He heals the brokenhearted— The other night in my church men’s fellowship, We read about Job. This ancient patriarch no stranger to hardship and pain wisely observed, “Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward” {Job 5:7}. Yet in the midst of reminding us of the inevitability of struggle in this life, he affirmed confidence in his God by saying, “Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him” {Job 13:15}.
For Job and for us, it is this confidence in God that can enable us to endure and know victory even in the darkest seasons in our life. This confidence is born out of the experiences of a life that has God’s sovereign presence in it, reminding us of His power that has overcome this world, and encourages us of God’s faithfulness through His Son, Christ our Lord.
Dear friend, Remember to praise our Lord today, Let your confidence be in His redemption! Praise is beautiful!
