Preparing for Easter: Mercy for the Brokenhearted
Today’s Reading: Psalm 147:1-11
After reading this Psalm over and over again, my absolute favorite part is the centrality of praising the Lord. The first verse literally says, “Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him!”
My friends, it is good to praise God. Even when the circumstances of our lives are not ‘pleasant’, or it may not seem ‘fitting,’ praise is a good thing. Even when it is difficult to see it in the moment.
In all honesty, when I feel the most broken, the last thing I think about or want to do is praise God.
I think we’re in a moment right now where many of us can see the world’s broken state very clearly. Many of us are scared, confused, or even in physical or emotional pain. Our hearts are longing for our eternal home in heaven. However, Psalm 147 offers us words of comfort in reminding us that God is the ultimate creator and sustainer of this universe.
Psalm 147 reminds us of some of God’s awesome characteristics: He heals, He provides, and He sustains. Those are three very important characteristics of His nature for us to grasp. Our God is a God of strength, and because of that, we can praise Him even amid brokenness and pain. He is the one who gives names to all of the stars. Think about that: God not only has the power to create, but He takes personal interest in all He has created (v.4). We can praise Him for that!
And praise is about more than just singing with our mouths. Praise can also look like calling out and depending on God in faith, thanking him in our weakness and asking Him to strengthen us to hold fast to the truth in His word. Praise can be a faithful call or act to not lose heart. Our God “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (v.3).
Think with me now about how this passage speaks to us as we look toward Easter for a minute. The events around Christ’s crucifixion must have been incredibly painful, not only for Jesus himself, but also for His disciples, followers, and family. They were all brokenhearted by his death. They didn’t know Jesus was going rise from the grave just three days later! When Christ died on the cross, He bore the wrath of God for our sins, and He also secured mercy and grace for all who believe in Him - even for those with a broken heart.
Our God is the One whose understanding is beyond all measure or limit. And just like the horror of the cross brought the greatest gift mankind has ever known, you and I may not understand what is happening in our world right now, but god does; “Great is our Lord and mighty in power” (vs. 5).
While no one could understand why an innocent man had to die, God had it in mind for His Son to become the redeemer of the world.
Our God has the wisdom and power to carry out His divine purposes. And do you know what the outcome of His resurrection was? Hope. And what happened when Jesus arose? The people who had previously mourned now praised Him! They rejoiced and gave God the glory for what had taken place.
Because of Jesus’ resurrection, we always have a reason to praise and praise has a way of restoring our hope. Praise reminds us that we are not in control, but our good God is.
Let’s hold tightly to our hope through praising God. When we praise, we are reminded that God is able to heal the broken pieces within us because of His great mercy, steadfast love, and unending faithfulness.
