Personal and Powerful

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.” Psalm 147:3-4

I read the Bible through from cover to cover at least once per year. One benefit of this is being inspired by passages that would otherwise not have been front of mind, like recently when I read Psalm 147. Verse 3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” This emphasized the truth that God is a personal God; a God who cares for our needs, especially when we’re brokenhearted and downtrodden.

The next verse says, “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.” emphasizing that God is a powerful God, and the next verse amplifies this point: “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.”

If His power were all we knew we’d have no option but to bow down to Him in reverent fear. But by His grace we also know that He’s a personal God who invites us to come into His presence with childlike confidence. David approaches God this way in Psalm 143:1, “Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.”

David goes on to appeal to Almighty God as a personal friend and a personal provider: “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.” (vs.8)

If we only had a personal God who had no power, we’d have no hope because we’d have no help. The same would be true if we only had a powerful God who did not want a personal relationship with us. But hallelujah! We have a God who is both powerful and personal.