The Heart's Cry: Psalm 147

Psalm 147

His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;

Really? God doesn't take pleasure in the pleasure that the creation feels? I disagree. One of the things about the God of the Bible is that God appears to be empathetic, in other words God doesn't just understand how we feel but can feel it as well. As one of my favorite songs by Eli says 'God weeps too' and if God weeps when we weep then God rejoices when we rejoice. And if that is the case when a runner feels the breeze caressing her face as she traverses the course is it not God surrounding her in her elation? When the artists puts a happy little stream through the middle of his scenic painting does God not also think of the same stream that is flowing inside of and through the artist? We are told that God loves us, and to truly love another means that you are wrapped up in their joys and their pains, and God is most assuredly wrapped up in ours.

And now we switch gears.

He declares his word to Jacob,
    his statutes and ordinances to Israel.
He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
    they do not know his ordinances.
Praise the Lord!

As I have mentioned Israel thought of themselves as Chosen when they were really chosen. As I have also mentioned Christians often do the very same thing, believing that God is only concerned with our well-being, where else does a statement like 'God Bless America' come from? We can too quickly become engrossed in our 'special' standing to the detriment of other cultures and societies. We are told to be the salt of the earth, the light of the world and neither salt, nor light exist for their own good. We often use salt to make something salty, but the strongest aspect of salt is as a flavor enhancer, what you add it to is enhanced because of its addition. In the same way light illuminates the area around it, because of the light others can make out its surroundings.

We are to exist in order to enhance the world and to allow others to be able to adequately navigate the world around them. In other words, God's plan to deal with the other nations is through our beliefs and actions, spreading the message of Jesus to all nations.