Psalm for Sunday, May 14, 2017

Reflections

Psalm 33: 1-2, 4-5, 18-19  (Read)

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


The Psalm says that 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 hearts are starved
for God's presence, when our bones are dry, He
nourishes us and breathes life into our dry bones.

It is through Him that we are saved.  Our
own feeble efforts count for nothing. We must be
submissive and abandon ourselves to His Plan.
Our Savior himself tells us in today's Gospel,
"I am the way and the truth and the life," and He
teaches us, "Whoever believes in me will do the
works that I do." (John 14: 6,12)

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.  That is the
meaning of the response, “Lord, let your mercy
be on us, as we place our trust in you.”

Amen

 
Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist speaks of holding the Lord in awe and knows that the eyes 
of the Lord are upon us.  Describe how you react when the eyes of the Lord
are upon you and you are in His presence.

2.  The Psalm Response today inspires us to place our trust in the Lord and 
await His mercy.  Tell of how your trust in the Lord has strengthened you and
inspired you to do His will.