Thursday, December 19, 2013

December 19, 2013

            One of the readings for December 19th is Psalm 33. This psalm reminds us that the Lord is truly in control. God is always watching over us because, after all, he did create this world.

            Some of the excerpts from this Psalm were really powerful. One part said;

“For the words of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice:
the Earth is full of the steadfast love of
the Lord” (Lines 4-5).

This part of the psalm tells us how great the work God does is. Everything the Lord does is to contribute to a bigger plan that He has for all of us. In the end, God will lead us to something great because “He loves righteousness and justice.” I interpret “justice” as God giving people what they deserve in the end. If someone is kind, caring, loving, and does God’s will, they will eventually have that kindness returned to them. The last part of the excerpt says, “the Earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.” This is really important to remember – sometimes it feels as if we are living in a crazy world and it is hard to find the goodness in certain people or events, but the world is, in fact, full of God’s love. Despite how terrible a situation may be, there is always a silver lining.

            Another part of this psalm that I enjoyed was “He frustrates the plans of the peoples” (Line 12). This is true – sometimes people make plans and for some reason God does not want those plans to happen. It is just important to remember that there is a reason for this – God has his own plans that sometimes do not correspond with our plans, but God is always doing the best thing for us even if we may not think so at the time.

            An additional part of this psalm said:

“A king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great
strength” (Line 16).

This section explains that when someone has a victory or a great thing happen to them, it is never as a result of their own skills, but instead a gift from God. Think of something wonderful that has happened to you recently – maybe someone has recovered from an illness, or someone you know has had a baby. Now remember that that was a blessing from God. I think that this part of the psalm also helps emphasize how important it is to give thanks to God. After all, he is the cause of all great things.

            Lastly, the psalm states:

“Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and shield.
Our heart is glad in Him,
Because we trust in His holy name” (Lines 20-21).

This, again, points out that God is who we look to in times of trouble and need. He shields us from harm and guides us to good decisions. However, it also mentions “we trust in His holy name.” This reminds us to trust in God even though sometimes it may seem like he is not there. He is always there watching over us and guiding us even though we may not realize it.

            Especially in this holiday season, “Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.”

Cassandra Clemente





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