Psalm 147:12-20 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 147:12-20 on biblegateway.com
Verse 12Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!
Verse 13For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you.
Verse 14He grants peace within your borders; he fills you with the finest of wheat.
Verse 15He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
Verse 16He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes.
Verse 17He hurls down hail like crumbs- who can stand before his cold?
Verse 18He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.
Verse 19He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and ordinances to Israel.
Verse 20He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his ordinances. Praise the Lord!
Devotion
On this eve of a new year it is natural to reflect on the year past. I am particularly mindful of the blessings I have received this year. I resonate most with the psalm writer's words in verse 14, "He grants peace within your borders; he fills you with the finest wheat." They remind me of another great poet and theologian, Frederick Buechner who said, "Peace is not the absence of war, but the presence of love."
Because of God's great love we are given all we need to live and to love in harmony with one another. Nevertheless, in our sinfulness and selfishness, we often only see our own way as the right way to go about living our lives. As we embark on a New Year let us resolve to see the things around us through God's eyes of love and forgiveness. And let us also remember to praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Prayer
Loving God, thank you for providing us with all we need to live as your children here on earth. We praise you for all the gifts we have received. Help us to embrace others' differences and strive to find the good in all creation. AMEN!