Variety: Psalm 33.6–15
Psalm 33.6–15
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;
He lays up the deep 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 was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.
The LORD looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men.
From the place of His dwelling He looks
On all the inhabitants of the earth;
He fashions their hearts individually;
He considers all their works.
Reflect
God not only creates but cares. He didn’t make the world and walk away. He keeps engaging with the work of his hands.
According to Psalm 33, God even guides world politics (see verse 10). At the same time, he cares about each one of us and the way we live our lives. ‘He fashions their hearts individually; he considers all their works’, we read in verse 15.
The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus was convinced that the gods didn’t intervene. He couldn’t square divine goodness with divine omnipotence. It’s the old question: if God is both morally perfect and all-powerful, why is there evil and suffering?
The question crops up in the psalms of lament. And the book of Job is a 42-chapter-long wrestling match with the problem of pain.
Psalm 33 draws the same conclusion as Job. The poet shifts his attention to God’s majesty and sovereignty. We can’t read his mind. We’re not his advisors. Verse 18 says, ‘The eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy.’
In other words, humility is key. God won’t appear before the judgement seat of human reason. It is we who rely on him to pardon us. If we show God the respect he deserves, ‘our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name’ (Psalm 33.21).
Trusting that God will intervene in our lives only makes sense if he does intervene. And the psalms were penned by people who had experienced God’s intervention personally. Trust isn’t a one-off, though. Genuine trust prevails even when we struggle to understand what God is doing, and why.