Friday, July 5, 2024
Praise to the Creator – Psalm 33 Submitted by Kay Crumley
Do you ever feel discouraged? Are there times you just don’t want to see the good in life because of the circumstances of your life in that moment? Most people have seasons of their lives that cause them to be discouraged. Maybe you, like me, will just have a ‘pity party’ all by yourself. Yet we are told to ‘Rejoice always’ in Philippians 4:4. In fact, Paul stated it two times in that very short verse, Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
What are the reasons do we have to rejoice or praise when everything seems to be negative? Well, the writer of Psalm 33 gives many reasons to praise God, our creator. When I am feeling down, I have found that prayer is a great solution. The acronym ACTS may help to organize our prayers as a reminder that we start with praise. A -Adoration of our Father, C - Confession of our need for Him, T - Thanksgiving for all He does for us, and S – Supplication, requesting Him to answer prayers for self and others. This reminds me to consider all that He is and does for me.
We read in the first 3 verses that the righteous ones are to praise Him with musical instruments and song. They are to do it skillfully and with joyful voices. Who are the righteous ones? One definition is that they are those living in right relationship with God, other people, and all creation. They are also those people whose faith in and love for God causes them to order their lives according to God’s laws. 1 John 3:7. God desires the worship of His people. Those who live according to His teachings desire to please Him with their worship. That’s us, you and me, who are Christ followers being sanctified by modeling His character in our daily lives.
1 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones;
praise from the upright is beautiful.
2 Praise the Lord with the lyre;
make music to Him with a ten-stringed harp.
3 Sing a new song to Him;
play skillfully on the strings, with a joyful shout.
Focus your mind on God and consider the reasons we must worship and praise Him. His Word is right, His work in our lives is trustworthy, and His love is never ending. When we begin our prayers listing the attributes of God and marveling at His love for us, we can begin to see the wonder of His presence, protection, and provision in our lives. We will begin to realize that we are blessed, and the discouragement will begin to dissolve.
4 For the word of the Lord is right,
and all His work is trustworthy.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the Lord’s unfailing love.
The middle portion of this chapter are listed wonders of His creation, the care He has for His people, and His watchfulness and protection for us. He was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. He is without beginning or end. He is Creator, Sustainer, and ever-present Help. Now, that’s the reason to be joyful and praise Him.
The final verses enumerate His care for those of us who fear Him, have a humble sense of awe because of who He is. His love for us is sure, faithful, never ending. He delivered us from death by sending His perfect Son, Jesus Christ, to pave the way to eternal life through His death on the cross. He is our refuge, our redeemer, and the restorer of our soul.
18 Now the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him—
those who depend on His faithful love
19 to deliver them from death
and to keep them alive in famine.
20 We wait for Yahweh;
He is our help and shield.
21 For our hearts rejoice in Him
because we trust in His holy name.
22 May Your faithful love rest on us, Yahweh,
for we put our hope in You.
Our hope is not in the present circumstances of life but in Him. While we face many challenges, we are never alone. Our hope is in the One who has all power, control, and dominion over all things. As a hymn, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, I learned as a child implores us in the chorus.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in his wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace
With our focus on Him in our praise, we can be encouraged because of who He is and how great He loves us. Gratitude changes our attitude.
