Psalm 33: Sing of His Steadfast Love

Key Verse
5    He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
 
Meditation
The steadfast love of the Lord is the sure foundation of our hope and the joyful song of our praise. The God who governs the universe also lovingly watches over His people.

Psalm 33 calls God's people to rejoice because "the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord" (v. 5). The psalm celebrates the power of God's Word in creation (vv. 6-9), the certainty of His sovereign purposes (vv. 10-12), and His intimate knowledge of every human heart (vv. 13-15). Nothing lies outside His rule, and nothing escapes His care. The King who rules over all creation is the Shepherd who lovingly watches over His flock.
 
Because God reigns, His people must resist placing their hope in the false securities of this world. Armies, strength, wealth, and human achievement cannot ultimately save (vv. 16-17). Our true hope rests in the steadfast love of the Lord (v. 18). 
 
The fullest display of that steadfast love is found in Jesus. Through Him, we know the Creator who spoke the world into existence and the King who upholds it by His Word. At the cross, Jesus fulfilled God's sovereign purposes and displayed His steadfast love. The resurrection assures us that nothing can overturn His promises or separate us from the love of God in Christ.
 
Our hope rests not in what we can control but in the God who puts His steadfast love upon His people as He sovereignly rules all things. His love never fails, and those who hope in Him will never be put to shame.
 
Today’s Reading
 
Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! 
Praise befits the upright. 
2    Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; 
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! 
3    Sing to him a new song; 
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. 
4    For the word of the Lord is upright, 
and all his work is done in faithfulness. 
5    He loves righteousness and justice; 
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. 
6    By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, 
and by the breath of his mouth all their host. 
7    He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; 
he puts 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 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. 
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. 
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. 
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. 
 
Richly Dwelling

-What part of this psalm of praise grabs you the most, especially seeing the steadfast love and sovereignty of the Lord?
 
-Where do you struggle to hope in God’s steadfast love? What specific places do you place your hope outside His covenant care?
 
-How does the faithfulness of God through the work of Jesus compel you to hope in Him? What does this look like for you to trust more fully in the person and work of Jesus, hoping in His word and beneficial rule?

Key Verse
5    He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.