Great is our Lord!

{Daily Selah}

Wisconsin's nickname, "The Frozen Tundra" is no joke. Early yesterday morning, the temperature dropped to an arctic minus 13 degrees F (-25 C). According to the weatherman, temperatures are not expected to climb above freezing until next Saturday.

Give me a nice, hot cup of tea and an afghan and I'd be perfectly content to hibernate on my couch with a good book until spring, thank you very much. However, life must go on, despite the temperature outside.

Last night, I was reading Psalm 147 and had to smile. We tend to look God's handiwork in creation - the mountains, rivers, seas and the extraordinary variety of living creatures He made with just a word and recognize His power on display for the world to see. We tend not to think of climate in the same way, except perhaps when major devastation happens.

But, even the cold reveals the power of our God. Psalm 147 begins with and instruction to praise the Lord, then gives us reasons to praise Him.

Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely (Psalm 147:1).

Why? Verse 5 reminds us, "Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite." Every other verse in this psalm reveals God's power in some way. This is our God, and this is what He does. He...

- gathers the outcasts (v 2)
- heals the broken in heart (v 3)
- knows the the name of each star (v 4)
- lifts up the meek and casts down the wicked (v 6)
- made the clouds, makes the rain com and causes grass to grow (v 8)
- feeds His creation (v 9)
- takes pleasure in us (v 11)
- is our God (v 12)
- brings peace and provides for us (v 14)
- gives His commands (v 15)
- sends the snow and the frost (v 16)
- creates the ice and the cold (v 17)
- melts ice and snow with His word ((v 18)
- reveals His Word to those who know Him (v 19, 20)

The weatherman doesn't send the weather. My God is in control of times, seasons and temperatures. When the temperature plummets, its a good time to praise the Lord, who is great and of great power. The God who "giveth snow like wool..., scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes..., and casteth forth his ice like morsels" is the same God who provides for us, takes pleasure in us, gives us peace and provides for our every need.

Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God for it is pleasant; and praise is comely (Psalm 147:1).

Great is our Lord!




{Daily Selah} is a mini-devotional, a pause to ponder about the Lord and how He wants us to live.