Psalm for Sunday, August 11, 2013

Reflections

Psalm 33:  1, 12, 18-19, 20-22

“The eyes of the Lord are upon those
who fear Him, to deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.”

The Lord's eyes are upon us because
we hold Him in awe,  we praise Him. 
Like a Good Shepherd He protects us
from harm; He puts up a hedge around us
and provides us with armor in our battle
against death and the evil one.  He feeds us
when we go through periods of spiritual
hunger.  He nourishes us and gives us our
daily spiritual bread.

Where else would we turn for deliverance
from death, the kind of death which is a
consequence of sin?  Remember, 'the wages
of sin is death,' and we are all afflicted.
Fortunately for us, Christ destroyed death
and brought life to us.

We would be dead in our sins without
the Lord's protection, defeated by the evil one
without the Lord's armor.  And when our heart
is starved for God's presence, when our bones
are dry, He nourishes us and breathes life into
our dry bones.

It is through His divine plan that we are saved.
Our own feeble efforts count for nothing.
We must be submissive and abandon ourselves
to His will and His grace.  Because Christ humbles
Himself for our sake,  there is hope for us,
even in our time of spiritual famine.  That is the
meaning of the verse, “Lord, let your mercy
be on us, as we place our trust in you.”


Amen


Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our Psalm Response this Sunday is, "Blessed the people
the Lord has chosen to be His own."  Speak of how you apply
this verse to your daily life.

2.  Verse 12 of the Psalm says, "Blessed is the nation whose God
is the Lord."  Tell of how important it is that our nation receive
God's blessing and His protection.