Psalm 33| Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance. From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth— he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.
The earth is full of his unfailing love. -Psalm 33:5
I was taking yet another walk by myself on yet another day during the COVID-19 quarantine when words written on a driveway caught my attention.
Choose joy. Write down here what you’re thankful for. A container of sidewalk chalk sat nearby. Among others, these answers had been scribbled down by passersby: food, a home, my dad and mom, my dog, candy, and God’s love. The driveway was filled with words of gratitude. Filled with words of gratitude.
The unknown writer of Psalm 33 had a heart like that. In this psalm, he thanks God for His character and “unfailing love” (vv. 4–5), His majesty in creation (vv. 6–7), and His blessing on His people (v. 12). He praises God for His knowledge, His care, and His power (vv. 13–19). The psalmist saw that the earth was full of God’s goodness, and he reminded his fellow Israelites: “He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name” (vv. 20–21).
Charles Spurgeon wrote about these verses: “Our soul, our life, must hang upon God; we are to trust him . . . with all we have and are.” God gives us many reasons to have a heart like the psalmist’s that’s filled with gratitude. May we trust Him, give Him the praise He deserves, and “shout for joy” (v. 3).
Anne Cetas