Have you ever taken the time to consider the verbs that are attached to the Lord? The actions which are described in these verbs are so encouraging to my soul. Each day, I pray through a Psalm in the morning. This book is rich with verbs that describe our Lord’s actions toward his children. Today, I was in Psalm 147. I want to share a few of the verbs from this Psalm that really spoke to my heart. My hope is that you will gain a greater understanding of our great God through these verbs.

“Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.”               [Psalm 147:1-6.]

Let’s look at the verbs in these first six verses.

The LORD builds. This is a reminder to me of the fact that I am not the builder of my life. I’m not in charge! My life belongs to my Father, and he definitely knows best. He builds me up with his Word, his people, and the Holy Spirit. His Word is powerful and alive. He uses it to show me the way to live out my life in a way that honors him. His people give me encouragement and course correction, which builds me up in Christ. The Holy Spirit resides in me and is always giving me the direction, conviction, and discernment that I need to be built up to be more like Christ. The LORD builds, and he never stops building.

The LORD gathers. What a wonderful verb to contemplate! One day the children of God will be gathered as one with a new heaven and a new earth. Oh, what a day that will be! God will dwell with his gathered people. He will be our light. Check out Revelation 21 for the highlights of the eternal gathering.

The LORD heals. This is a hard one for us because we know what we mean when we ask for healing, but God doesn’t always do it our way. Healing may be instantaneous, or take a long time, or never happen on this side of heaven. That being said, it doesn’t mean that God doesn’t heal. God brings about peace in the midst of difficulties or illness. This is the healing power of God. He can take a difficult situation and heal our emotions by giving us an upward perspective. We could call this the binding of our wounds. He gives us what we need when we need it.

The LORD determines. Our God is not wishy-washy. He makes decisions; and then in determination, he follows through. The encouragement for me is that God’s decisions are always right and true. He is determined to follow his decisions until the end. It reminds me of what Paul wrote to the Philippians about God starting his work, and he’ll finish it. [Philippians 1:6.] I know God has started a work in me, and he is determined to finish it. The peace that brings is undeniable.

The LORD understands. He knows my weaknesses. He knows my sins. He knows I’m flesh. He not only knows all about me, but he understands me. At times, I don’t even understand me. Even though he understands me and my sinful heart, he still loves me. What a truth! What a peace his understanding brings to my heart!

The LORD lifts up the humble. This is a challenge to me to be humble. I want to be lifted up by God. I want his arms to carry me through this life. However, I know that at times, we must go through the path laid out for us. He doesn’t necessarily lift us out of the hardships. As we humble ourselves in total dependence on him, he lifts our spirits. We can see him at work in the situation. It’s obvious to us that there’s a lesson to learn. He always lifts even when it appears he doesn’t. We need to yield in humility to him.

I challenge you to take some time and continue on in Psalm 147. There are many more verbs to be considered in this chapter which will draw you closer to your Lord. May today be a day of praise to him as we consider who he is and what he does each and every moment!