“He heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds.
He counts the stars and calls them all by name.
How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!
His understanding is beyond comprehension.”
(Psalm 147:3-5)
“Only an Infinite God can be equal to the infinite needs of individual men.
But a limitless love can be a refuge for the least and lowliest.”
(James Reid, in The Springs of Life. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1936)
Someone has said, “When we really think about God, we have our hand on a door which will lead us out into a new world.” If this is true (and I believe it is), why is God the second or third or even fourth source to whom we look in times of trouble? It doesn’t make sense to me. If you knew someone whose understanding was “beyond comprehension,” why wouldn’t you turn to him at the first hint of a problem? If you knew someone who was willing to “heal the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds”—and he was willing to do it now, why wouldn’t you turn to him when you are hurting? If you knew someone who was so infinite that he not only knows how many stars there are in the universe but also calls them by name, why would you read a horoscope to discover what good or bad things might (or might not) happen to you today?
The fact is that we tend to trust our stockbroker more than we trust our future to God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. I wonder if the timing might be right to dig out one of Isaac Watts’ old hymns and sing it today. You start, and I’ll join you on the second stanza.
O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home!
Under the shadow of Thy throne, Still may we dwell secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone, And our defense is sure.
Before the hills in order stood, Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God, To endless years the same.
Heavenly Father, I have been listening to news commentators far too much this week. Their “spin” on the events of the day is depressing. They are so persuasive; their views are so reasonable; their reputations are so solid; they are so easy to believe. But they don’t know one galaxy from the next. Their words have never healed anybody. They have no clue about what the future holds. And they don’t care one bit about me. I need help here, and I need it now! Please listen to my heart’s cry, and whisper confidence in my ear. Point me in the right direction, and lead me there. I’m ready to follow you wherever you take me. Amen.
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