Friday, November 7, 2025

Reflection - Psalm 111 - Out of Proportion

Source (book): "My Soul Thirsts For God", Reflections on the Psalms from Our Daily Bread, Psalm 111, "Out of Proportion", Page 152.
By Joe Stowell, Our Daily Bread Writer


Psalm 111
PHOTO: Psalm 111
Praise the Lord.

I will extol the Lord with all my heart
in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

Great are the works of the Lord;
they are pondered by all who delight in them.
Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.

He has shown his people the power of his works,
giving them the lands of other nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy.
They are established for ever and ever,
enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.
He provided redemption for his people;
he ordained his covenant forever —
holy and awesome is his name.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.


Out of Proportion
I'll never forget the time I had my picture taken with Shaquille O'Neal, one of the giants of professional basketball. I never thought of myself as short until I stood next to his 7' 1" frame. With my head tucked under his arms, I suddenly realized that I wasn't as tall as I thought I was, at least not when standing next to the Shaq!

The Psalmist wrote, "
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10). Fearing God requires that we get things in the proper proportion, like the fact that He is so much greater in every way than we are. "Great are the works of the Lord" (Psalm 111:2). They are the outworking (working harder, better, or faster) of His love, strength, wisdom, foresight, will, and faithfulness. Fearing God means coming to grips with this truth.

But it's easy to miss the point when we don't stay close to God. The closer we get to Him, the more we realize how much we are lacking and how desperately we need His far greater wisdom to direct our lives. Left to our little selves, we get everything out of sync. If we're honest, we have to admit that our limited perspective is often wrong and sometimes can be destructive.

Wise people realize how little they know and how much they need the great wisdom of God.
- Joe Stowell
 

Psalm 111
Praise the Lord.

I will extol the Lord with all my heart
in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

Great are the works of the Lord;
they are pondered by all who delight in them.
Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.

He has shown his people the power of his works,
giving them the lands of other nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy.
They are established for ever and ever,
enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.
He provided redemption for his people;
he ordained his covenant forever —
holy and awesome is his name.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.
Out of Proportion
I'll never forget the time I had my picture taken with Shaquille O'Neal, one of the giants of professional basketball. I never thought of myself as short until I stood next to his 7' 1" frame. With my head tucked under his arms, I suddenly realized that I wasn't as tall as I thought I was, at least not when standing next to the Shaq!
 

I'll never forget the time I had my picture taken with Shaquille O'Neal, one of the giants of professional basketball.
PHOTO: I'll never forget the time I had my picture taken with Shaquille O'Neal, one of the giants of professional basketball. I never thought of myself as short until I stood next to his 7' 1" frame. With my head tucked under his arms, I suddenly realized that I wasn't as tall as I thought I was, at least not when standing next to the Shaq!
Picture posted by The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation 2025

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhde00HuksZrSyTI1K4uxIGirh97mDGctUNw2VfmIrpMHXr5J6n8XdwVGV3VS9rLfaNF3jSpEARM335Adx6VrzIrMXQ05VSCbYQwnlxcqmJcCMfJVoVrC_Kh0_WQP3RJtfXv3F_HOtbEDnd8jPBUANAyjAfNTj1BW7U3Hg5LlsUL9ooQySXA8c7htb-TY/s2000/2024+Muhammad+Ali+Humanitarian+Awards-704-2.png
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61cefd9f39abc46e047974f5/1734074774746-MKU0GRFHRK910R2Q36IG/2024+Muhammad+Ali+Humanitarian+Awards-704-2.jpg
https://www.shaqfoundation.org/news/shaquille-oneal-receives-the-2024-muhammad-ali-humanitarian-of-the-year-award



The Psalmist wrote, "
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10). Fearing God requires that we get things in the proper proportion, like the fact that He is so much greater in every way than we are. "Great are the works of the Lord" (Psalm 111:2). They are the outworking (working harder, better, or faster) of His love, strength, wisdom, foresight, will, and faithfulness. Fearing God means coming to grips with this truth.
 

The Psalmist wrote
PHOTO: The Psalmist wrote, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10). Fearing God requires that we get things in the proper proportion, like the fact that He is so much greater in every way than we are. "Great are the works of the Lord" (Psalm 111:2). They are the outworking (working harder, better, or faster) of His love, strength, wisdom, foresight, will, and faithfulness. Fearing God means coming to grips with this truth.
Picture posted by Bible Art
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfoq6yM26uPQsKABKEyvgENGR5U6DjgjQ3pVUjmXjZxyID0uh7DxPQTXqkKEnDANFv74nR0p1OLQeIx7sFkWv2aJpFJCXT_s-3MfN9MFbArakl4RMg3D6_Roymm-eayXSjQjAmMPVaelIdvE2gZsrtSOvy76Zs_UebnBlMkiK0ZSlaWIVpHJgmTdOo9t4/s1024/71ca967b-dc5c-48bd-b0be-b93b822f2eeb-compressed_1_x2_1.png
https://media.bible.art/71ca967b-dc5c-48bd-b0be-b93b822f2eeb-compressed.jpg
https://bible.art/meaning/ezekiel-3%253A23



But it's easy to miss the point when we don't stay close to God. The closer we get to Him, the more we realize how much we are lacking and how desperately we need His far greater wisdom to direct our lives. Left to our little selves, we get everything out of sync. If we're honest, we have to admit that our limited perspective is often wrong and sometimes can be destructive.
 

But it's easy to miss the point when we don't stay close to God.
PHOTO: But it's easy to miss the point when we don't stay close to God. The closer we get to Him, the more we realize how much we are lacking and how desperately we need His far greater wisdom to direct our lives. Left to our little selves, we get everything out of sync. If we're honest, we have to admit that our limited perspective is often wrong and sometimes can be destructive.
Picture posted by Joshua Rottman Ph.D, Moral Boundaries on 10 October 2020

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmqw4Zvd729YItMHtsaZdejJZ1sVoCX6E2JH8QtmVUatLJJ8ZbvxdRNZMqVSCe0AYOJ9uxJiGoQsWiC9srJ2Aig-vwdY5HkPUA2VfQ04E3GPd5Zul-A7WNHpmif3PKq-xzk3CbEqTghSbqmhoBAUm59Q9RJ1jddMQLuDsDI2zxj70sgn8-lCRqr11g64/s1200/sasin_tipchaipixabay_11.png
https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/manual_crop_1_1_1200x1200/public/field_blog_entry_teaser_image/2020-08/sasin_tipchaipixabay.jpg?itok=HCQ025_l
https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/moral-boundaries/202010/do-children-learn-moral-lessons-storybooks



Wise people realize how little they know and how much they need the great wisdom of God.
- Joe Stowell
 

Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we pray that we get close to God and admit that our limited perspective is often wrong and sometimes can be destructive. May we realize how little we know and how much we need the great wisdom of God.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
"
Picture posted by Alexandra Serafina
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0wKpZBU_vUfNo0nrOM8J14Fz8EenaMCdSxokGFBYGRF4DUhXbtd38yl2PcrPfrdINdC292D4Mi5bnYdzizJcfKoCpCb5iOjmAS7CkkC9n-LfqTSh1sredVHuuVgwnmHM15kkuUADMqV4mW2GOTRdLxdSFIQTvoCbMGJZkUK9Wwfu_I7hNwy73lsNs8I/s1024/c68afbf52d51fc83061589bb4b16f8ef.png
https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/3e/57/b6/3e57b6c5dbc176d4c8793e19388b20d5.jpg
https://in.pinterest.com/pin/44824958786123012/

Reflection - Psalm 111 - Out of Proportion
Source (book): "My Soul Thirsts For God", Reflections on the Psalms from Our Daily Bread, Psalm 111, "Out of Proportion", Page 152.
By Joe Stowell, Our Daily Bread Writer




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Reference
[1] From "My Soul Thirsts For God", Reflections on the Psalms from Our Daily Bread, Copyright @ 2009 by Discovery House Publishers, Psalm 111, "Out of Proportion", Page 152.

Links


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