Limitless

Limitless
written by Chris Baker

Take a moment before you do anything else and look at this picture. Think about the vast number of stars there must be. Try to wrap your head around that number. Psalm 147 says that God determined their number and called each by name! Can you even comprehend that? I often forget the name of the person I just met, yet God knows the name of every single star! Let that sink in for a moment. Psalm 147:1 says, “Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him!” How can we not praise Him? Remember verse one, how fitting it is to praise Him, as we continue through the Psalm. 

The Psalmist says that God gathers up Israel’s exiles and builds up Jerusalem (verse 2). In essence, God restores His people. Many times, the Israelites would disobey God, worship false gods, be unrepentant and forget all the Lord had done for them. The Lord would then place them into exile. Why? He would allow their land to be conquered, casting His people into exile, out of love for them. Eventually, the Israelites would realize the error of their ways and repent of their sin. At this point, God would restore His people. He would heal their broken hearts and bind up their wounds (verse 3). 

Is there anything that you need to repent of today? Perhaps you find yourself in “exile” today. Could it be that God is trying to bring you back to Himself? Perhaps the Lord is trying to get your attention? If that is the case, repent, turn from your sin and seek after Him. Allow the Lord to heal your heart and mend your wounds. Come home and be restored today! 

Verses 7-10, 12-14 tell of His provision. He provides for His people. We can be thankful when we acknowledge that everything we have comes from the Lord. He cares deeply for us and wants to provide for us. The Psalmist says that God is the one who provides the rains and allows the grass to grow. God is the provider. Think about all that you have and sing to the Lord with thanksgiving for all that He provides. 

Verses 4-5 tell of His mighty power and depths of understanding. Take a glance at the picture again. God not only knows all of those stars by name, He also created all of those stars, planets, galaxies and solar systems. The Lord’s understanding is truly limitless! Just the thought of His vast creation overwhelms and humbles me. Interestingly, the next verse speaks of the Lord sustaining the humble. How could we not be humbled by such a thought? 

Have you ever witnessed a massive hailstorm? Tiny balls of ice fall from the sky and pummel whatever is in their path! There was a hailstorm this summer and many of my co-workers properties were damaged. Many roofs, cars and aluminum siding were destroyed and had to be replaced. Think about the sheer power behind a hail storm or an avalanche. The Psalmist asks the question, “who can withstand His icy blast.” Yet by the Lord’s command He melts all of the snow, that was just laid out like wool, with a single word. The frozen waters are thawed by a single command. Verse 1 comes back to mind, “praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting” (NIV). O how fitting it is to praise Him! 

The conclusion of the Psalm reminds us of God’s Word. We have the very Word of God, the Scriptures. Everyone has the opportunity to know the heart of God through His Word. The Scriptures speak of His salvation, which is only found in His Son Jesus, and of His great love for us. Everything that we need in life, our daily bread, is found in His Word! 

Verse 11 explains how God delights in those who fear Him and are in awe of Him. He delights in those who place their hope in His unfailing love. Did you know that His love is unfailing? He cares and provides for you. He delivers and heals you. He delights in you. People may fail us at times but God’s love will never fail! We choose to place our hope in His unfailing love!

I say again, “praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him” (NIV).