Healing a Wounded Heart · Day 1
Psalms 147:1-6 — a devotion
Psalms 147
- 1할렐루야 우리 하나님께 찬양함이 선함이여 찬송함이 아름답고 마땅하도다Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.Praise the LORD, for it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant and fitting to praise him.
- 2여호와께서 예루살렘을 세우시며 이스라엘의 흩어진 자를 모으시며The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.The LORD builds up Jerusalem. He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
- 3상심한 자를 고치시며 저희 상처를 싸매시는도다He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds.
- 4저가 별의 수효를 계수하시고 저희를 다 이름대로 부르시는도다He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.He counts the number of the stars. He calls them all by their names.
- 5우리 주는 광대하시며 능력이 많으시며 그 지혜가 무궁하시도다Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.Great is our Lord, and mighty in power. His understanding is infinite.
- 6여호와께서 겸손한 자는 붙드시고 악인은 땅에 엎드러뜨리시는도다The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.The LORD upholds the humble. He brings the wicked down to the ground.
KJV and World English Bible — Public Domain · 개역한글 ⓒ Korean Bible Society
Background
Psalm 147 is a psalm of praise from after the return from exile, likely written during the period when Israel came back to Jerusalem after their captivity in Babylon. The author is thought to have been a priest or Levite leading the restored community. Through seventy years of exile, the entire nation had experienced deep loss and suffering, so even after their return, wounds of the heart still remained. In this situation, the psalmist proclaims that God is the One who gathers His scattered people and heals their broken hearts. Within the structure of the psalm as a whole, this section stands at a point that emphasizes how God's care embraces both the cosmic dimension and the personal dimension at the same time.
Reflection questions: 1. What comfort does it bring me that God, who counts the number of the stars, also tends to my wounds? 2. Is there a wound in my heart right now that I want to surrender to God? What is it? 3. What is one thing I can do today to experience God's healing?
Today's reflection
Psalm 147 is a song of praise sung by the people of Israel after returning from exile in Babylon. The psalmist confesses that God counts the number of the stars and calls them all by name, and at the same time sings that He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. What stands out in this passage is that the great God who governs the universe also pays attention to the heart wounds of small, weak individuals. The contrast is striking: the same hands that count the stars are the hands that bind up our wounds.
Theologically, this passage shows both God's transcendence and His immanence at once. God's power to count the stars is infinite, yet that power is not far away — it is turned toward the heart of a single wounded person. In Hebrew, the expression for binding up a wound suggests that God cares for us personally, like a doctor carefully dressing a patient's wound. And the statement that He lifts up the humble and casts the wicked down to the ground shows that God's healing takes place on the side of the weak.
Simply put, God is not merely a great and distant being. He knows even the pain and sorrow settled deep in our hearts, and He longs to heal them. If there is a painful wound in your heart right now, God does not turn away from that pain. Instead, He draws near to that wound and gently binds it up. How about resting in that warm care today?
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