IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER
Opening Prayer
Lord, how majestic You are in all of Your creation!
Read PSALM 147
1 Praise the Lord.
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him!
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the exiles of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.
6 The Lord sustains the humble
but casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;
make music to our God on the harp.
8 He covers the sky with clouds;
he supplies the earth with rain
and makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He provides food for the cattle
and for the young ravens when they call.
10 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
11 the Lord delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.
12 Extol the Lord, Jerusalem;
praise your God, Zion.
13 He strengthens the bars of your gates
and blesses your people within you.
14 He grants peace to your borders
and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.
15 He sends his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
16 He spreads the snow like wool
and scatters the frost like ashes.
17 He hurls down his hail like pebbles.
Who can withstand his icy blast?
18 He sends his word and melts them;
he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.
19 He has revealed his word to Jacob,
his laws and decrees to Israel.
20 He has done this for no other nation;
they do not know his laws.
Praise the Lord.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
“But saints are lovely in his sight, / he views his children with delight; / he sees their hope, he knows their fear, / and looks, and loves his image there!” (Isaac Watts, 1674–1748).
Think Further
If someone asked you for a good recipe for a wintry evening meal, what would you recommend? If you were asked for a psalm for a winter’s night, would you have one? This psalm is a great candidate for such an occasion; it may even have been composed at night (4), while the weather was far from pleasant (15–18). The encouragements to praise the Lord, found in verses 1, 7, 12 and 20, work like a refrain, splitting the psalm into three sections. Each one, however, calls us to do the same thing: we are to use our observations on creation to encourage us in our walk with God.
Verses 2–6 remind us that the God who orders the stars and calls them each by name (4) uses this great power (5) to care for his people, healing the brokenhearted and binding up their wounds (3). He sustains the humble (6). As more and more solar systems in the universe are discovered, this truth becomes no less true but much more wonderful! Verses 8–11 emphasize that the God who sends the rain and provides for the animals takes a special interest in his people, those who fear him and trust in his unfailing love (11). He is impressed neither by military might nor human strength and neither should we be (10). The final section in verses 13–20 show us that just as the snow, frost, hail and wind respond to his command (15–18), so his people need to be obedient to the Word that he has revealed to them (19). We must ultimately obey the Word that the New Testament will reveal to us, which further depicts his glory! It really is good, pleasant and fitting to praise such a God.
Apply
Thank you, Lord, that out of all creation Your focus is always on us, Your people! Help me today to center my affection on You!
Closing prayer
Lord, I will praise You over and over for the marvelous work of creation that we can see originated with You!
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