Psalm 33 — Praise for the Power of God
1 Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous:
Praise is comely for the upright.
2 Give thanks unto the LORD with harp:
Sing praises unto him with the psaltery of ten strings.
3 Sing unto him a new song;
Play skilfully with a loud noise.
4 For the word of the LORD is right;
And all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loveth righteousness and judgement:
The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.
6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made;
And all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap:
He layeth up the deeps in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD:
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9 For he spake, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The LORD bringeth the counsel of the nations to nought:
He maketh the thoughts of the peoples to be of none effect.
11 The counsel of the LORD standeth fast for ever,
The thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD;
The people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
13 The LORD looketh from heaven;
He beholdeth all the sons of men;
14 From the place of his habitation he looketh forth
Upon all the inhabitants of the earth;
15 He that fashioneth the hearts of them all,
That considereth all their works.
16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host:
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
17 An horse is a vain thing for safety:
Neither shall he deliver any by his great power.
18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him,
Upon them that hope in his mercy;
19 To deliver their soul from death,
And to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul hath waited for the LORD:
He is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart shall rejoice in him,
Because we have trusted in his holy name.
22 Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us,
According as we have hoped in thee.
In this great rejoicing in the glory of God, the psalmist praises the power inherent in the creator's nature. Our earth, a wonderful creation, shows the right words and faithful works of the Lord. The very nature of their making, the gathered heaps of waters, the heavenly hosts in his breath, demonstrate the authority in his hands and words. There is, then, a natural fear of the Lord in his creation - a natural awe at the immediacy of his words: when he speaks, it is done.
Compare and consider the Lord's words and thoughts with our lowly councils. What are the gathered ideas of any individual next to the pure power of God's divine creative word? How does any council, conference or congress of people compare with the singular and clear designs of our Lord? How fickle and frail do our conclusions stand before the one who looks down to our houses of ambition from heaven.
The eye of the Lord is upon those that fear him. If we would but see this with our hearts, we would ever live within this sight - ever clinging to him for our food in famine - holding to him for our help. Only when we trust in the holy name of such a creator can we let our hearts rejoice in peace - a peace growing from trust and safety beyond any other found here below.