Psalm 33
Psalm 33
Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous.
Praise befits the upright.
Praise the Lord with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.
Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle;
he put the deeps in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world
stand in awe of him.
For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.
The Lord looks down from heaven;
he sees all humankind.
From where he sits enthroned he watches
all the inhabitants of the earth -
he who fashions the hearts of them all,
and observes all their deeds.
A king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
and by its great might it cannot save.
Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
to deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and shield.
Our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
If I look outside my window right now I see the sun shining brightly. I see the sharp green grass and the tall trees climbing into the blue skies.
When I take a breath, my lungs fill with air and then release it. When I look around my apartment, my eyes blink as I take in the natural light sneaking into the dining room.
With every breath my heart continues to beat, sending blood to the complex systems of organs that make it possible for me to sit up, to breath, to eat, to live.
And with all this my mind starts to wonder and my heart begins to beat faster as I think about everything happening in the world and all the unknowns that lie ahead...I stress over cleaning the house or grading papers or anything else to feel some semblance of control.
But then I turn again to the greens, to the sun. I take another deep breath in and let it escape. I take a moment to be still and reflect on the wonders of living. I pause and think of His command over the skies, the Earth, the seas. I listen as He gently reminds me of His creation and His steadfast love. I rest in His promises as I look to the skies He has created.
I find peace when I look around at the earth He is sustaining; and I take heart, because He watches over not only this earth, but myself and all of His people as well.
I turn my gaze to Him and marvel at His creation to find myself consumed with His love and peace. I am able to rest in hope because He will deliver me, He already has through the sacrifice of His son.
As my eyes turn to Him I am humbled to learn that His eyes are already on me. He has been guiding me, loving me and watching over me even before conception.
Surely He is watching over the inhabitants of the earth now, He is with His people and loving them as He always has, we just have to take a moment to pause and rejoice.
Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous.
Praise befits the upright.
Praise the Lord with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.
Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle;
he put the deeps in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world
stand in awe of him.
For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.
The Lord looks down from heaven;
he sees all humankind.
From where he sits enthroned he watches
all the inhabitants of the earth -
he who fashions the hearts of them all,
and observes all their deeds.
A king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
and by its great might it cannot save.
Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
to deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and shield.
Our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
If I look outside my window right now I see the sun shining brightly. I see the sharp green grass and the tall trees climbing into the blue skies.
When I take a breath, my lungs fill with air and then release it. When I look around my apartment, my eyes blink as I take in the natural light sneaking into the dining room.
With every breath my heart continues to beat, sending blood to the complex systems of organs that make it possible for me to sit up, to breath, to eat, to live.
And with all this my mind starts to wonder and my heart begins to beat faster as I think about everything happening in the world and all the unknowns that lie ahead...I stress over cleaning the house or grading papers or anything else to feel some semblance of control.
But then I turn again to the greens, to the sun. I take another deep breath in and let it escape. I take a moment to be still and reflect on the wonders of living. I pause and think of His command over the skies, the Earth, the seas. I listen as He gently reminds me of His creation and His steadfast love. I rest in His promises as I look to the skies He has created.
I find peace when I look around at the earth He is sustaining; and I take heart, because He watches over not only this earth, but myself and all of His people as well.
I turn my gaze to Him and marvel at His creation to find myself consumed with His love and peace. I am able to rest in hope because He will deliver me, He already has through the sacrifice of His son.
As my eyes turn to Him I am humbled to learn that His eyes are already on me. He has been guiding me, loving me and watching over me even before conception.
Surely He is watching over the inhabitants of the earth now, He is with His people and loving them as He always has, we just have to take a moment to pause and rejoice.
Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield. Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord be upon us, even as we hope in you.
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