A Tender And Mighty God
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.
Tommy's Thoughts:
Sometimes we are troubled and frustrated when we don’t understand even our own selves. We don’t quite know what we really wanted, why we do certain things, how we feel or what’s wrong with us. We feel helpless and lost, worrying about the uncertainties lying ahead in our lives. We think hard about our situation and try our best to focus our mind on our problems and ourselves – to solve the dilemma.
God knows and understands us fully and perfectly. He knows our hearts; all our pain, struggles and longings. Like a loving father, He speaks to us tenderly, showing us His way, the best way for us, when we are lost, fail or discouraged. Not a single thing in our lives happened without Him knowing it. His understanding has no limit (v5). We should focus on God rather than on ourselves because the more we learn about Him and His ways, the more we will understand about ourselves.
Dear Lord, thank You for the peace You has given me when I’m troubled and worried by situations in my life. Thank You for speaking to me through the people I met, Your Word and during my daily prayers. Teach me to focus my mind onto You and to know that You care and concern a lot for me. Guide me to continue striving to become more and more like Christ each day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Bee's Thoughts:
God knows exactly how I am feeling now although I don't know how to express what is in my heart. But I know He will heal my broken heart and bind my wounds (v3).
I have many questions in my mind and many things I don't understand. But I know He knows the answers and He knows my name (v4).
I remember God, through the Apostle Paul, says in 1 Corinthians 13:
4Love is patient, love is kind.Sometimes when our mind don't understand something, or another person's actions/decisions, it is when we need to apply the principle of love...
5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails.
Can we still be "patient and kind" towards the other person?
Can we seek the goodness for the other person instead of our own? So what if we are right and the other person is wrong in a certain view, can we still accept him/her in love?
Can we still "protect, trust, hope and persevere" with that person?
Dear Lord,
I pray that when my mind is crowded with questions and things I don't understand, Your love will come into my heart to stablize me.
I pray that when my heart is broken You will come and mend it.
I pray you will do the same for my best friend too.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
