Episode Details

Psalm 147: The God Who Counts Stars and Binds Wounds

The most astonishing line in this psalm is also the most easily missed. "He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite." And directly before it: "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." The psalmist places these two facts side by side as though they belong together — and of course they do, though it takes a moment to see it. The same God who catalogues galaxies with the ease of a shepherd counting sheep is also, at this very moment, kneeling beside someone whose heart has come apart. He does not delegate the stars to an assistant so he can attend to the brokenhearted, nor does he leave the wounded to manage while he maintains the cosmos. He does both, simultaneously, with the same infinite attention. And then this strange, wonderful rebuke: he delights not in the strength of the horse nor takes pleasure in the legs of a man. What does please him? Those who fear him, those who hope in his mercy. Not the impressive but the dependent. Not the strong but the waiting.

00:00 Praise and the Broken Heart
01:00 Snow, Ice, and the Word That Melts
02:00 A Privilege Given to No Other Nation