Reflections
Psalm 33: 1, 12, 18-19, 20-22 (Read)
“The eyes of the Lord are upon thosewho fear Him, to deliver them from death."
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.
Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be His own. The eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear Him, to deliver them from death.
ReplyDeleteFor He is Creator, the Lord of creation - all powerful, Deliverer and Savior.
He is faithful , dependable and trustworthy in our time of crisis.
The psalmist assures us that we are saved through God’s divine Mercy.
Christ destroyed death and brought life to us. Otherwise I would be dead in my sins. And so I would be burdened with guilt.
But with His mercy I am well protected under his provision whenever I encounter
the Evil one. He helps me to recognize my sins, confess and repent. He forgives me. He brings me the joy of Salvation.
This is a privilege for me because I have been chosen to be his own.
I must trust Him and be submissive to Him and be longing for his presence and trusting in his plan for my life.
I would say willingly I am blessed since the Lord has chosen me to be his own.
All God’s words are right and true and trustworthy; they can be trusted. Sing to him a new song. In him my heart rejoices; there is the promise of a good gift come to us. And from heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind.
He watches all who live on earth. He is the source of hope and help and a shield
for our nation .
We need God’s watchful care and protection in times of national crisis. In case we are attacked by enemies, our warriors, the size of our army and the number of our horses are a vain hope for deliverance. We can not be saved despite all our strength. Only God alone can save us. Because the Lord can deliver us from death and keep us alive in the midst of physical and spiritual famine and crisis. Not only individuals but the whole nation must pray for the restoration of our country.
Those whose hope is in God’s unfailing love and who fear God can be delivered by our Lord. It is very important to have God’s blessing and protection by all means.
I am pleading for God’s protection and care in the midst of this war crisis against North Korea.