Psalm 33:13–22 13 The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; 14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, 15 he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. 16 The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. 17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. 18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 19 that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.
If you are struggling, hurting, and feeling helpless, Psalm 33 is a shot of truth you need.
Psalm 33 encourages exuberant joy and gratitude to God for His steadfast love. Such expressions of praise are to occur vocally and instrumentally. The substance behind the joyful appreciation the people of God celebrate is the consistent authority and pervasive power of God’s word shown in creation and history.
There are wondrous works of God evident for all humanity to see. And for those called to be His people by His saving grace (“…the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!” – verse 12), there is a special blessing of awareness of God’s involvement and intentionality to provide for and to protect them in particular. The steadfast love of the Lord brings His people comfort and security. That is the hope offered in the truths of this Psalm.
No one escapes the knowledge of God, and His knowledge of all people is not distant and disinterested observation. God perceives every circumstance, every thought, every action, every problem, and every reaction. When deliverance comes, it is not the result of human ability or human ingenuity. It is the hand of God.
All struggling, anxious, hurting, perplexed, and distressed people of God need to rest in the central truth presented in this Psalm. Our hope is in the steadfast love of the Lord. He can deliver us from all threats of distress and death. Consequently, we are to encourage our hearts in the community of faith to expectantly trust in the Lord. We are to stir one another up by the reality that God is our helper and shield in all the circumstances we encounter throughout life.
Fret not, child of God. You are not left to your resources to fight the battles of life. God promises us His presence and power. We know God hears and answers our prayers for the comfort of His steadfast love to envelop us when trust and hope in the Lord bring the sunrise of gladness in God to our darkened soul.
Let us lift our voices in song to praise the steadfast love of the Lord!
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