LET
YOUR HEART BE GLAD, AS YOU FOCUS ON GOD!
Psalm
33
9
For he spoke, and it came to be;
he
commanded, and it stood firm.
10
The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he
frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11
The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
the
plans of his heart to all generations.
12
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the
people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
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.
The
Psalmist has reminded us that it is appropriate and right for man to praise God
and to worship Him as the creator and sustainer of all. As he goes on, the
writer reminds us that the Lord is also in sovereign control of all.
God’s
sovereignty, is never thwarted by sinful man never impaired by the plans of nations
or political leaders, and it’s certainly never diverted by the will of man. God
is in total, absolute, careful, and purposeful control of all things! This
control is neither strenuous nor tiring for God, for He is utterly capable. He has
limitless power, wisdom, and love to perfectly accomplish His intentions. His
judgment is eternally perfect, for His sovereignty is individually providential
for every human being at the same time, generation after generation.
As
we read and reflect on these verses, we have to be in awe of the fact that our
perfect, holy God would reveal Himself to us and love us in such a particular way. Nothing can happen to us unless God permits and
ordains it, and it’s always exactly what is best for us. This truth should
drive us to penitent, submissive worship. Those who, by faith, understand and
believe these truths are blessed. Israel was blessed by being God’s chosen
people, and we are blessed by being His chosen children.
Are
you taking the time to rehearse your life, like I am? God was in total control
through every day of sunshine, rain or storm that I have ever gone through, and
has loved me more than I could ever comprehend. And God is totally aware of
every detail of my life right now, for nothing escapes Him or surprises Him: it
all fits into His perfect plan.
God
knows every heart, every thought, every plan; in fact, He knows exactly why we
do everything we do. Are we trusting Him and resting in these truths?
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.
Even
the most powerful men, who think they are choosing their destiny and
controlling their lives, cannot do anything, unless God allows them to do it. I
know that I am not a king, but many times I tend to live as if I am ruling my
life. The writer reminds us that this is certainly not so. We tend to put our hope
in our own abilities and strength, or in the power of others, and we forget
that we are all totally dependent on what God does. Knowing, and especially
remembering, these truths, is so freeing. We need not worry, we must not fret,
but trust Him! Turbulent times, raging enemies, pain from our sin or the sin of
others is not the result of a society gone wild, but are entirely under His control.
Let’s
not forget that there is a purpose in all that God allows in our lives.
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.
Our
responsibility is to fear God, trust Him, and rest in the Lord’s steadfast
love. His love is perfect at all times, it has our best interest in mind at all
times, it’s never earned by our behavior or response, and it is eternally
perfect!
Dear
friends, God’s purposes are not always visible or clear to us, but we must wait
upon the Lord. When we are anxious, we are exposing our lack of hope; when we
are bitter, we expose our lack of belief; when we complain, we expose our lack
of trust; when we rebel, we expose our lack of submission. So, what is God
expecting our response to be?
21
For 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.
The
writer was correct when he said that we are blessed! Do you remember our state
before God came into our lives?
Ephesians
2:12
remember
that you were at that time separated from Christ, strangers to the covenants of
promise, having no hope and without God
in the world.
Dear
friends, we have a blessed hope! So we must worship God with lives that expose
the trust and gladness of heart we have, because we know God!
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