Psalm 147:11 The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy
A few mornings ago, here on the Bill Rice Ranch, I observed a group of deer. I saw a little tiny deer with white spots, and I assumed that was a fawn, the child. There was a larger deer who was very attentive, and I assumed that was the doe, the mother deer. I saw a deer with antlers, and I assume that was the buck, the dad. So, it was essentially a deer family. Do you think they have any misunderstanding about who does what? No, the buck does, the doe does, and the fawn does what each of them do in that structure. God created them that way. That is how life continues. They are not at all ambiguous as to what they are to do. Now, I don’t know if they are conscious of what they know, but they know it nonetheless.
If you went to Walmart, would things be as clear and unconfusing? If you saw three people, would you know who does what? Whatever you think about who should do what, the point is it is very ambiguous for people because we have forgotten who it is that does what. What is a father to do? What is a mother to do? What is a child to do? Is there such a thing as a family, or are we just talking about a jumbled bag of individuals?
In Psalm 147 we are reminded that every successful relationship needs to know who does what. Verse 1 says, “Praise ye the LORD.” In other words, you praise the Lord; that is your part. It continues, “For it is good to sing praises unto our God; it is pleasant; and praise is comely.” So, praising God is good, pleasant, and appropriate. It is what we are to do first, second, and last. You find in the beginning, middle, and end of this psalm that we are to give praise to the Lord.
Now, praise is not a performance; it is not something we just pull out because it is a virtue. No, praise is our place. Praise is not having a praise leader, a praise team, or a praise whatever. Praise is not a performance and it is not a virtue. Praise is a response. That is why each time the psalmist says, “Praise the Lord, praise God, attribute worth to God,” he follows it with reasons we should do that.
For instance, in response to “praise ye the LORD” verse 2 says, “The LORD doth…” Then it gives a long list of things the Lord does. For instance, verses 3 and 4 tell us He named the stars and He heals the heart. How incredible is the power of a God who can make the universe, see the stars, and then name them. I can’t even see all the stars even with the most powerful aid in the world.
At the same time, verse 3 says that He “healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” In other words, the omnipotent God who spoke the worlds into existence has regard for you. He cares for you and He cares for me. It doesn’t matter where you are in the family. Whether you are the buck, the doe, or the fawn, if you are a grandparent, great-grandparent, or even if you don’t have a family, God regards you. The Lord does these things, so we are to praise Him.
In response to the challenge to praise God and give thanksgiving, verse 8 says we are to praise, God “who covereth the heaven with clouds.” Then he gives us a list of things that God does. He is worthy of praise. Verse 13 tells us we should praise God for a reason, “For he hath…” We are not just to praise God as some virtue that we have. No, God is the Creator and we just notice.
So, every successful relationship needs to know who does what. What does God do and what do I do? God is the Creator and Sustainer, and He is sovereign. He made and named the stars. What is mine to do? I respond. Verse 11 puts the whole psalm in a nutshell. It says, “The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.” This is in contrast to the fact that God doesn’t take delight in the strength of a horse or the strength of a man. He takes delight in those that reverence Him.
God is God and we just respond. That is what praise is. Verse 11 tell us that God takes pleasure in that. I am to reverence and fear God, to hope in His mercy. Verse 7 says that that we are to give thanksgiving, attribute thanks to God.
So, Psalm 147 is really not a matter of our accomplishments but of our discernment, which is to say that God rules the universe and we notice. Every successful relationship needs to know who does what. God is God and I simply notice. That takes the screws off of me and gives peace in my heart and gratitude in my life. That can make all the difference in how I perceive the world and in the way I proceed today.