Psalm 33 celebrates four aspects of the Lord’s work: creation, providence, judgment, and salvation. Verses 6-9 describe the Lord’s creation of all things, and calls for our response: “let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! For he spoke, and it came to be” (v.8-9). Verses 10-12 describe the Lord’s providence (the Lord’s upholding and governing of all things, see Heidelberg Catechism, question 27). “The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing….The counsel of the LORD stands forever” (v.10-11). Verses 13-15 describe the Lord’s judgment, how he observes all the deeds of every person, that we might be fairly treated upon the record of our lives. Verses 16-19 describe the Lord’s salvation, which thankfully is not based upon our deeds (v. 15) or our strength (v.16), but upon the steadfast love of our Lord (v.18).
Lord, let us never cease to sing your praise; let us never cease to be amazed with you. Your power in creation is majestic. You simply spoke the words: “let there be…” and billions upon billions of stars were born from your breath. O Lord, in light of our very limited foresight, this seems hard for us to fathom, but your Word teaches us that you planned to save us even before you created the world (Eph. 1:4)…which means even from the foundations of the world you knew us…and loved us! Wow! Lord, we celebrate your majestic power in creation and your amazing love in our salvation. And because we know the good news of your salvation, it makes it easier for us to celebrate your justice. It truly is good news that you will not let evil go unpunished, but will hold us all accountable, so that evil can one day finally be rid from this earth forever. We think also of our enemies, Lord, and we pray: let us be all the more like you. Let us seek to rid the world of evil not by eliminating our enemies, but by loving them, that they might share in the joy we have in you.
We also celebrate your goodness in your providence. Romans 8:28 reminds us that you are working all things together for the good of those who love you. The coronavirus has been a difficult season for many, and yet we believe that you, O Lord, were not surprised by the coronavirus, nor were your plans for us and for this world threatened by the coronavirus. To the contrary, the coronavirus is a part of your plan. During this season we have been reminded that our plans certainly are subject to frustration (v.10). But your plans, O Lord, stand firm forever. From our vantage point, in the midst of time, we cannot see the big picture. But because of your promise in Romans 8:28, we believe the coronavirus will be like a tool in your hand, bringing about good in this world for all who love you. Perhaps the coronavirus will be like the storm that came up when Jonah was trying to run from you? Left to himself, Jonah would have run from you forever. But with your help, Jonah gave up running, and submitted himself to you (albeit grudgingly at first; however O Lord, you are patient with us, even when our transformation is a slow process). Likely, you have billions or even trillions of reasons why you have sent the coronavirus…you have billions and trillions of good things you are accomplishing through us. Let us, like Jonah, stop resisting your ways, and find afresh the joy of trusting you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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