Scripture Focus: Psalm 147:1-3
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.
Student Writers Month is here: The student writers featured from July 15 to August 9 have received free coaching, ministry training, and seminars by special guests in addition to this publishing opportunity, the ability to re-publish their work elsewhere, and a stipend/scholarship for their work. A portion of all donations during these dates will be applied to the students’ stipends/scholarships. Find out more about the students at this link or give a one-time or recurring gift at this link.
Reflection: Great and Mighty and Close
By Doug Hibbard
We shout, “Hallelujah!”
For the Lord our God made the heavens, the earth, the seas, and all that dwells in them! As we look at the wonders of creation, we see the amazing work of God.
We shout, “Hallelujah!”
For in his goodness, the Lord our God feeds the animals, makes grass grow, teaches birds to sing, and causes rain to fall! When we see the abundance of God’s provision and the grace of his providence, we can see that God cares for his creation in ways we cannot comprehend.
We shout, “Hallelujah!”
For the Lord our God numbers the stars, calls them by name, and understands all things beyond limit! We think of all we have yet to learn, all that we cannot understand, and yet we know our God is never baffled, stymied, or confused.
We shout “Hallelujah!”
For the Lord our God frustrates the wicked, casts evil to the ground, and reigns forevermore! We see dictators rise and fall, elected officials rally and disperse, and laws change with the views of the many, but God is stable. He is righteous and true, no matter what the world becomes.
We shout “Hallelujah!”
For the Lord our God is great and mighty, above and beyond all the lowliness of his creation.
And yet, he is not only great and mighty. He also comes close. He turns to the cause of the oppressed. He gives food to the hungry and sets prisoners free, lifting up those who carry great weights and sustaining those who are alone, abandoned, and worthless in the measure of the world.
He is not a god who is distant from those in need. In Jesus’s first sermon, he makes clear that he came specifically to be the one who binds up the broken and sets free the prisoner. (Luke 4:19-19, Isaiah 61:1-2)
When we cannot soar with the eagles or see his limitless provision, he comes to us. When we cannot look down from lofty mountain grandeur and behold his rule and reign, still he is there, lifting us up in our brokenness. He is there, standing for the oppressed. He is there in the darkness that weighs upon us as our years pile atop one another. He is not so lofty with majesty that we are left alone.
And so, whether in victory or defeat, in light or in darkness, we shout “Hallelujah!”
Divine Hours Prayer: A Reading
Blessed be the Lord, God of Israel, for he has visited his people, he has set them free, and he has established for us a saving power in the house of his servant David, just as he proclaimed, by the mouth of his holy prophets from ancient times. — Luke 1.68-70
– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.
Today’s Readings
Jeremiah 2 (Listen 5:54)
Psalms 146-147 (Listen 3:09)
Read more about God’s Not Deaf
The fear that God may ignore your peril, the doubt that your pleas are being offered to a deaf God are not founded in truth.
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