The Greatest Power

Psalm 147:1-11

1Praise the LORD!

How good it is to sing praises to our God!

How delightful and how right!

2The LORD is rebuilding Jerusalem

and bringing the exiles back to Israel.

3He heals the brokenhearted,

binding up their wounds.

4He counts the stars

and calls them all by name.

5How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!

His understanding is beyond comprehension!

6The LORD supports the humble,

but he brings the wicked down into the dust.

7Sing out your thanks to the LORD;

sing praises to our God, accompanied by harps.

8He covers the heavens with clouds,

provides rain for the earth,

and makes the green grass grow in mountain pastures.

9He feeds the wild animals,

and the young ravens cry to him for food.

10The strength of a horse does not impress him;

how puny in his sight is the strength of a man.

11Rather, the LORD’s delight is in those who honor him,

those who put their hope in his unfailing love.

They called him “Hot Steam Schmidt.” As a boy, Wilhelm Schmidt had trouble in school, but he enjoyed machines of all kinds. Locomotives fascinated him, and he frequented railroad stations, trying to find engineers who would answer his questions. Schmidt eventually focused his interests on high-compressed steam machines and received patents for twelve hundred inventions.

Every invention Schmidt perfected was a gift from God, as he saw it. Over and over again on his drawings or in his diaries was scribbled, “I thank you, O God, I thank you.”

Though Schmidt often lived on the brink of bankruptcy, he opened his home to the needy. Because of his genius and his ability to harness power, Schmidt often received visits from military and political leaders, and they found themselves seated alongside the poor at Schmidt’s table. He was never overawed by human abilities. “The decisive things of life,” he said, “come not through our powers of intelligence but through God, the highest power.”

The psalmist knew that the power of horses or humans could not compare with the power of God (verse 10). So whatever power you are battling today, know that God is even greater.

I sing the mighty power of God

That made the mountains rise,

That spread the flowing seas abroad

And built the lofty skies.

I sing the wisdom that ordained

The sun to rule the day;

The moon shines full at his command

ISAAC WATTS

Bible Networking

What a marvelous contrast there is in verses 3 and 4! He is the God of all the stars, yet he heals the brokenhearted. Read Isaiah 57:15 and 66:2.

Thought to Ponder

The power of God described in this psalm should dispel all worry. Someone once said, “Worry is a cycle of ineffective thoughts and emotions whirling around a thick center of fear.” After you have read this psalm, what is there to fear?