Psalm 33 is a praise song to the Lord Almighty. We don’t know who the author is, but it’s a beautiful worship song. It’s one that we should never get tired of singing or praying back to the Lord. Let’s dig in…
Psalm 33
1 Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord;
it is fitting for the pure to praise him.
2 Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre;
make music for him on the ten-stringed harp.
3 Sing a new song of praise to him;
play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.
4 For the word of the Lord holds true,
and we can trust everything he does.
5 He loves whatever is just and good;
the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth.6 The Lord merely spoke,
and the heavens were created.
He breathed the word,
and all the stars were born.
7 He assigned the sea its boundaries
and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.
8 Let the whole world fear the Lord,
and let everyone stand in awe of him.
9 For when he spoke, the world began!
It appeared at his command.10 The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations
and thwarts all their schemes.
11 But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever;
his intentions can never be shaken.12 What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord,
whose people he has chosen as his inheritance.13 The Lord looks down from heaven
and sees the whole human race.
14 From his throne he observes
all who live on the earth.
15 He made their hearts,
so he understands everything they do.
16 The best-equipped army cannot save a king,
nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.
17 Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—
for all its strength, it cannot save you.18 But the Lord watches over those who fear him,
those who rely on his unfailing love.
19 He rescues them from death
and keeps them alive in times of famine.20 We put our hope in the Lord.
Psalm 33 NLT
He is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
for our hope is in you alone.
Points to Ponder
One thing I’ve noticed, you can’t be sad, depressed, anxious, or worried when you’re singing a praise song to the Lord Almighty! You can’t. It’s impossible. Consider these points…
- Sing joyfully! To whom? To Jesus, the Lord Almighty.
- Sing a new song. By the way, that doesn’t mean you can’t sing your favorite worship song over and over again. Moreover, make one up! Furthermore, even if you can’t play an instrument, you can sing along with Christian radio, Spotify or YouTube.
- Then, we have some affirmations…
- The Word of the Lord is true.
- We can trust Him!
- He loves what is just and true.
- The Lord fills the earth with His unfailing love.
- He spoke the heavens into being and created the sea and oceans. For that matter, He spoke and the world was created.
- Fear the Lord Almighty — stand in awe of Him.
- Next, the Lord deals with the nations…
- He frustrates the plans of the nations and thwarts their schemes. Consequently, that is something we should pray about right now — thwart the evil plans of the enemy!
- Verse 12 speaks of Israel — the chosen people.
Final Thoughts…
- Ultimately, God Almighty looks down from Heaven and sees EVERYTHING we do! Yes, EVERYTHING! Nothing gets by Him. Therefore, as part of the human race, we need to acknowledge this and live as He would want us to live. What’s more, He will forgive you if you repent.
- Note, too, that He gets us. He made our hearts and He knows our hearts. There’s no heart that’s too hard for Jesus!
- Verse 17 is great advice! Don’t rely on earthly beings for victory. Needless to say, no matter how strong it is, it cannot save you. Back then it was warhorses. Today it’s a church, a priest, a pope, a leader, a president, or an entity.
- The Lord Almighty watches over those who fear Him and rely on His unfailing love. In other words, trust God, not humans!
- Only He can rescue us from death and give us everlasting life.
- Only He can provide for us during tough times — and we all will live through tough times.
- Who do you put your hope in? The Lord God Almighty! Above all, He is our shield — our protector — our help.
- Trust only in Jesus’ Holy name — not Mary, not a church, not a pope, or a priest.
- Only IN HIM will our hearts rejoice!
Where is the Gospel?
All in all, the folks at Spoken Gospel summarize it nicely…
Like Israel, we’ve been forgiven by God. Like Israel, we should sing new songs about God’s character, word, and plans. And since our forgiveness was earned by God in Jesus, it’s entirely appropriate to meditate on Jesus’ character, word, and plans.
First, Jesus’ character is God’s character (John 5:19). When Jesus healed the sick, approached the outcast, and welcomed sinners, we see God’s justice, purity, and love on full display. Or as the author of Hebrews says, Jesus is the “radiance of God’s glory” who upholds the universe with his words (Hebrews 1:3a).
Second, Jesus’ words were as powerful as God’s. They calmed storms, defeated demons, and inspired repentance. His last words, “It is finished,” secured our forgiveness. From the beginning of his ministry Jesus had one plan—to set the oppressed free (Luke 4:18). And even when he knows it will cost him his life he resolutely meets the danger (Luke 9:51).
Third, Jesus’ character, word, and plans were more strategic than Rome’s military complex, and more powerful than Israel’s religious hypocrisy. Even when both conspired to kill him, the plan of God to deliver his people could not be stopped (Acts 2:23).
We have a God in Jesus who accomplishes everything we need to deliver us from death (Psalm 33:19). Far from self-reliantly trying to garner enough forces to rescue ourselves, we can wait in hope that the God who rose from the dead will be our help and shield. In Jesus, God’s unfailing love rests on us forever (Psalm 33:22). Every day we have new reasons to sing new songs.
See for Yourself
May the Holy Spirit open your eyes to see the God who is worthy of praise. And may you see Jesus as the one whose character, word, and plans save us so completely we can wait and sing in hope of his rescue.
Spoken Gospel
In conclusion, my question to you is — who do YOU place your hope and trust in? I certainly pray it’s Jesus Christ, the Lord, God Almighty, the Living God, our Creator, Redeemer, Savior, and King!
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.
- Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ and He died taking your sins away forever and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
- Repent of your sins — stop sinning! Do a complete 180-degree turn in your life and surrender your life to Him. When you ask Jesus to forgive you He will. ALL your sins will be wiped clean — past, present, and future! And All means ALL!
- Be Baptized by water baptism — show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
- Receive the gift of Holy Spirit in your heart.