Not a remote God
by Pastor Mark Lieschke
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
‘The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds’ (Psalm 147:2,3).
Psalm 147 describes the majesty of the Creator God – the God who knows the stars by name, the God who controls the weather, the God whose powerful word makes water flow and energises the breezes. It describes the majesty of the Creator God who forms the clouds and gives rain to the grass, providing food for the cattle and the birds.
Psalm 147 also makes the important point that this Creator God is not remote and impersonal. He brings healing and restoration to the broken-hearted – to those who fear him and put their trust in his unfailing love.
Psalm 147 tells us that this God understands human beings far better than we understand ourselves! In his word, he tells us what we need. More than that, he offers us what we need. He provides us with spiritual strength.
Psalm 147 shows us that those things human beings see as powerful and important are sure to let us down. It reminds us that God is both our Creator and our Redeemer. Our God is a God who cares. Our God sends rain in due season, he causes the grass to grow and he gives food to birds and beasts alike. He blesses his people.
As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, ‘Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or store away into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?’ (Matthew 6:26).
The power who made the stars, the power who controls the snow and the frost, the wind and the waves, is the one who builds us up in Christ. He gathers us together into his church. He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.
Our God – through his Son, Jesus Christ – has done for us what we could never have done for ourselves. That gives us good reason to thank and praise him, and to reflect that in our lives.
Dear Heavenly Father, remind us often of your incredible power – power evident in the cosmos, in our world and in our lives. Bless us, heal us and forgive us through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Strengthen us so that we may face whatever comes our way. When this life comes to an end, gather us into your everlasting kingdom. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
- Click here to read previous devotions.
- We are also posting them on LCA Facebook, making it easy for you to share them with family and friends.
- Sign up to receive Daily Devotion in your inbox every morning. If you’re already doing that, please encourage others to sign up. Click here for the link.
