Singing Psalm 147 for tension relief from overachieving
Have you (or anyone you know) ever tried to please someone with how fast you (or your car with 800+ horsepower) can run?
Ever thought that being able to know things, do things well, or have quality things would somehow increase your esteem in the eyes of others?
How do you manage the stress when you fail in front of those whose opinion you value?
Ever feel the pressure of having to perform well all the time?
Ever been rejected by those who determine that you just don’t measure up to their standards of excellence?
It can help to go to the beginning for much needed tension relief.
Who knows how something works best but the one who made it?
“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” ~ Genesis 1:26
Singing Psalm 147 for tension relief from having to impress
Singing Psalm 147 brings tension relief as you set your sights on one who is so far greater than any human you’ve ever tried to impress. He is so “other” in that he made every aspect of each human and everything suitable for us to live.
Not only that, he made all that truly impresses beyond the sky. Though they are innumerable to us, he numbers and names each one. Not only that, he wants a friendship with you though you have nothing and can do nothing to impress him.
“In strength of horse or speed of man,
The Lord takes no delight.
But those who fear and trust his love
Are pleasing in his sight.” ~ Psalm 147:10-11
What tension relief to not have to try to impress!
Instead of trying to impress and fail, you can praise the triune God for making you such that you run not independent but dependent on him. Whatever deficits you have in personality, talent, or wisdom, you overcome by being tethered to him, the Father, the Son who is Jesus, Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit.
You can thank him for all he has done for you, for being with you, and for helping you process every step of your life from the moment you wake up to the moment you fall into deep sleep.
Constructional praxis is stymied when you are out of sync with your maker. But he provides tension relief by giving you ideas, helping you to communicate them, and directing you to bring them about just as he prepared in advance for you to do.
When you start giving credit where credit is due, you will be afraid not to trust the triune God with your life and every aspect of it providing the tension relief you so desperately need.
Humans scratch the surface in the study of science to understand how things work as God designed them to work. He gives you a glimpse into his wisdom that has no end. Rather than take credit for what knowledge he has graciously opened up to you, you can praise him all the more because you understand more than most of the glory of his inworking of what you see play out in his universe.
He perfectly discerns your thoughts, but “who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” ~ 1 Corinthians 2:16
We cannot fathom his flawless functionality. Yet he untangles our knotted senses and emotions and fulfills his purposes for each one of us.
Pride comes before the fall but you can choose the tension relief that comes from being humble. You can choose the tension relief that comes from fearing only one thing: not trusting the triune God, the maker of all things who remakes and redeems all who would trust him.
Singing Psalm 147 for tension relief from a broken heart
Some life events will bring you low: unemployment, rejection in relationships, abuse at the hands of those who are cruel, neglect from those over you who don’t seem to know how to care.
Singing Psalm 147 from the heart will plant a new identity in your mind and place you in the secure embrace of your good shepherd. He seeks you and finds you lost and astray. He brings you home with him to care for you and love you with a love that satisfies like no other.
“The Lord builds up Jerusalem,
Brings Isr’els exiled sons.
He binds up all their wounds and heals
The broken-hearted ones.” ~ Psalm 147:2-3
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” ~ Matthew 11:29
“Sing Hallelujah! O how good
to praise our God with song!
For it is pleasant and is right;
To Him all praise belongs.
“To Jacob He revealed His word,
To him He made it known.
His statutes and His firm decrees,
To Isr’el He has shown.
“He has not dealt in such a way
With nations of the world;
No, they have not known his decrees.
O let us praise the LORD!” ~ Psalm 147:1, 19-20
October 17-21, 2022
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