Having celebrated the birth of God into human history, we now have the privilege of living out the meaning of the celebration. This is a celebration like no other. It is daily, what some would call 24/7 celebration, it is personal, and it is of the essence in the community of God.

There are five psalms in the great book, Psalms 146-150, that are called the “hallelujah” psalms. They are praise psalms that reflect the fact that God is at work in the world. He is not off in the distance preoccupied with other, more important, things. God is up-close-and-personal, working in the midst of His creation. Psalm 147 captures this in powerful ways.

We see in this Hallelujah psalm that God “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (vs. 3). “The Lord supports the afflicted” (vs. 6). He is at work in nature and in the human situation (vs. 8-10). His blessings are directed toward those who revere Him and who “wait for His lovingkindness” (vs. 11).

The fingerprints of God are all over this world; they are all over your life. You can’t get away from Him no matter where you go. He is sovereign and He is at work, patiently and persistently sharing His glory with all His creation.

No wonder Psalm 147 beings and ends with the little phrase, “Praise the Lord,” or “Hallelujah!” This makes perfect sense to those of us who have called upon the name of Jesus. He is God’s greatest manifestation. God didn’t just decree things from a distance. He arranged to be born into His creation to impact it all from within. On Christmas we celebrated His birth into history. Now, we will follow His life and see where it all leads.

Wherever it leads we can count on one thing. The influence of His presence will cause us to break forth in Hallelujahs and Praise the Lord.