“He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.

Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.

The Lord sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground.”

Psalm 147:4-6 (ESV)

AUGUST 12, 2025

Our God is the Lord of the universe. He created billions of heavenly bodies and placed them in space, calling each one by name. The distances that separate the stars from one another are almost impossible for our minds to comprehend, but they are as nothing to our God. There is no discernible boundary to space, and modern technology has detected far more stars than are visible to us in the night sky. But this knowledge is nothing new or unprecedented for our God; He devised all of it. If our God is greater than the expanse of the universe, who are we by comparison?

When we say, “Great is our Lord and mighty in power” do we have any concept of how great He is or the magnitude of His power? His greatness is not a factor of dimension or enumeration. His power cannot be measured in terms of natural phenomena, such as waves crashing on the seashore, winds uprooting trees, or even volcanic explosions that remove a mountain peak. These examples make us appear appropriately insignificant by comparison, but the real greatness and power of our God is manifested in how He relates to humankind.

He understands me, and He understands you. He takes note of my words and actions and perceives the inner person that yields such behavior. He is patient with our struggles, yet is never satisfied with our flawed condition. He is constantly at work to accomplish in us what we could never do on our own. He sees each of us individually and brings His limitless wisdom into His dealings with us. We have no concept of how intimately He is involved in our lives.

How can we realize His wonderful presence and strength? An essential attitude is humility. Our passage says, “The Lord sustains the humble.” Our Lord will sustain those whose heart is right, those who are willing to embrace their dependence upon His intervention in their lives and His grace. We have a resource that is limitless, if we will just admit our need and come to Him with open hands.

But this source of incredible blessing is short circuited by wickedness. In fact, sin does not merely block the flow of blessing, it reverses the current bringing adverse consequences. Disobedience is foolishness. Sin’s results are destructive and hurtful, like being knocked to the ground. But God uses even our failures to teach us lessons, sometimes the hard way. He never ceases to work on behalf of those who have put their faith in Him.

Questions for reflection and discussion:

  • How has the greatness of God manifested itself in your life experience?
  • How does His understanding of your situation give you strength to carry on?
  • How have you embraced your dependence upon His grace?

Church Reading Plan:

  • 1 Samuel 2; Romans 2