Reflections
Psalm 33: 4-5, 18-19, 20, 22 (Read)
"Lord, let your mercy be on us,
as we place our trust in you.”
Our Sunday Psalm is written in praise
of God’s power and providence.
It is the Lord’s design for his
people that stands through all
the generations. It is through
his plan that we are saved.
Our own feeble efforts count for
nothing. We must be submissive
and abandon ourselves to his providence.
And how do we know his plan?
This Sunday's lst reading (Isaiah)
graphically outlines what God has
in mind for his Son, that He be
'crushed for our offenses.' (Isaiah 53:10)
As unpleasant as this sounds,
that is how we are delivered from
death. Because Christ humbles himself for
our sake, becomes a slave to our sin,
there is hope for us, even in our time
of spiritual famine The psalmist has it right,
“The Lord’s eyes are upon those who fear Him,
to deliver them from death.”
In Sunday's 2nd reading, the Letter to the Hebrews
answers the question, “How can we approach the throne
of God?” The answer is with confidence, and then
we will find mercy and grace. (Hebrews 4:16)
The theme of the Psalm is the same, “The Lord’s eyes
are upon those who hope for his grace.”
It is said that even people who have no faith
have a longing in their hearts for God. There is something
missing in their lives. For us who are believers,
we are dependent on the Lord – we openly ask for
his help and his protection. He is our shield in the
spiritual battle that we all have to fight.
If we trust in the Lord, his eyes will be upon us,
and we can expect to receive his grace. And as
the psalmist says, through the Lord's grace we
are delivered from death, kept alive in times of famine.
And for this we praise the Lord. As the psalmist says,
we know He will fill the earth with goodness and his
kindness will be upon us. The Psalm ends on a positive
note, “Lord we have put our hope in you.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The psalmist says, 'Our soul waits for the Lord.' Tell of how you have
a spiritual hunger for the Lord in your life, and explain how the Lord satisfies
your longing.
2. The psalm's verses state that, 'The eyes of the Lord are upon those who
fear Him.' Do you feel the eyes of the Lord upon you because you hold
Him in awe? Explain.
“But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.” (V. 18 and 19)
ReplyDeleteThe Lord is my Creator, who formed me in the womb. He knows my weaknesses and how I need reassurances and signs of His love and provision. He also knows that I do hold Him in awe and do not wish to operate outside His will. (And when I do, He still manages to bring good out of the situation.).
God also understands my restless spirit. And thankfully, He sent His Son Jesus, to be fully human; as we see in the second reading, we have a high priest who does understand our plights and our temptations, though he never sinned.
So, as I turn my face heavenward and seek the Lord with my heart, I do feel the eyes of the Lord upon me as well. In the morning, He grants me nuggets of wisdom, that I need just for my day, like fresh manna. And I if take on tomorrow’s worries today, I do not hear His voice clearly. I can only digest the Word for today, one day at a time. I can sense His delight in my searching, as my being feels light and assured.