Praise, Charity, Providence, and Scripture (Thanksgiving 2022)

A devotional through Psalm 147

Sherman Siu

Published in

UWCCF

5 min readOct 11, 2022

Verse 1 (Praise)

A crowd of people lifting up their hands in worship to God. Art generated by Stable Diffusion.

Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. — Psalm 147:1

Let us come and glorify the Lord together in prayer!

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew.
There is none like you, O LORD, and there is no God besides you!
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing!
(Psalm 34:3); Luke 1:46–47, 50; Prov. 3:20; 1 Chron. 17:20; Rev. 5:12

Verse 2–6 (Charity)

The LORD cares for his beloved people. Art generated by Stable Diffusion.

The God who created the heavens and Earth cares for the outcasts, the brokenhearted, and the lowly. Let’s pray for them now:

Oh LORD, you build up Jerusalem and gather the outcasts of Israel.
Thank you for healing the brokenhearted and binding up their wounds!
You are all-powerful! You determine the number of the stars and give all of them their names. Great are you, O Lord, and abundant in power; your understanding is beyond measure! O LORD, you lift up the humble and he cast the wicked to the ground. — Psalm 147:2–6, edited into a prayer.

Consider the following verses:

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
James 2:15–17; Psalm 82:3–4; Rom. 12:15–16

The LORD cares for the poor, the oppressed, and the brokenhearted. Reflect on the Scripture above: how can we practically answer the call of the LORD within our own lives?

Verses 7–14 (Providence)

The LORD provides for our daily needs. Let us give thanks to him! Art generated by DALL-E 2.

Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre!
He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills. He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry.

His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!
For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you.
He makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat. — Psalm 147:7–14

Let us pray the following:

Oh LORD, you will supply all of our needs according to your glorious riches in Christ Jesus. I praise you, O LORD! You make the sun rise on the evil and the good and send rain on the just and unjust.
It is good to give thanks to you, O LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High! To declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy. How great are your works, O LORD!
Phil. 4:19; Matt. 5:45; Psalm 92:1–5a

Verses 15–20 (Scripture)

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. — Hebrews 4:12. Art generated by Stable Diffusion.

He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes.
He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold?
He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.

He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel.
He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his rules.
Praise the LORD! — Psalm 147:15–20

Meditate on the following passages:

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes!
Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.
Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.
I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word. I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me.
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.
Psalm 19:7–8; Psalm 119:97–104