The word of God is full of hope and reassurance for our daily lives, and some of the passages such as Psalm 33 are powerful in navigating through uncertain times.
Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful.
2 Praise the Lord with the harp;
Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
3 Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
To read the entire passage click here: Psalm 33
I hope reading and meditating on Psalm 33 a few days ago blessed you. Below are some of the insights that I gained from this powerful passage that can help us in navigating through uncertain times.
Rejoice in God
Uncertainty causes people to spin their wheels endlessly with no solution in sight. Psalm 33 begins with rejoicing in God. Singing praises to God, helps us to use our energy and our breath of life to give Him glory instead of feeling frustrated or stuck. Our adoration of God helps us to exhale all negativity and pressure. We focus our attention on Him and we begin to experience calmness and joy to in our spirit, soul, and body. Rejoicing disperses the fog and the apprehension. When I Rejoice and worship God, it allows me to move to a higher place spiritually and begin to see things from God’s point of view.
Remember the Goodness of God & His Leadership
Remembering the goodness and the kindness of God during uncertain times is crucial. As Psalm 33: 5b states, the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord . Every good and perfect gift comes from the Lord. The Lord’s grace is over the world holding it together. He has graciously provided abundant resources for our existence and for our enjoyment. While this past year has been very challenging for the entire world, it should also be a reminder that there are many dangerous and invisible elements out there that could potentially destroy humanity, but the Lord has kept them in check by His mercy and grace. We need to recognize that if it wasn’t for God, man’s skills and ingenuity would have not been sufficient to make life and advancement on this earth possible.
God has many titles in the scriptures, but one of the ones that describes our relationship to Him is that of being a shepherd to a sheep. Just as sheep without a shepherd are helpless and in danger of predators, we also are very vulnerable without our Shepherd’s leadership. Jesus told us that His sheep hear His voice. That’s a reassuring word to every believer. When we look to Him, our Shepherd will lead and guide us, and we will not be left alone to figure it out on our own. Praise God that we have a good Shepherd who desires to lead us in green pastures and beside still waters. He is our hope and help in times of uncertainty.
Man is Vain Hope
Psalm 33:16 & 17 tell us that it is a vain hope when we look to man for strength and protection. People and systems will fail us, but God is our hope and our refuge in uncertain times. As the world begins to make progress and pass through the pandemic, there are still many unanswered questions economically, medically, and politically. To the natural mind, they can be overwhelming for no one can predict the future.
We find that even scientists don’t necessarily agree on everything, yet people have to depend on their expertise to stay safe. In reality, things continue to change at a fast rate, and there is still much unknown that requires further research. Through this situation, the Lord is showing us that the very voices people have relied on for decades, are not always capable of delivering accurate and timely information. We need God in our midst. Psalm 33:12 tells us that a nation whose God is the Lord is blessed. We need to pray for our nation to return to the Lord and look to Him for all the answers. People need to wean themselves from relying on experts and the latest news for all the answers. We need the Lord’s intervention in our country and in the decisions that are made for the welfare of the people.
Our Soul Waits on the Lord
I believe, as things become more uncertain, we will be in a greater need to be in tune with the Holy Spirit to help us navigate through those times. Sometimes distinguishing between wisdom, fear, or presumption is hard. Seeking the Lord in uncertain times is essential to discern between different voices. We need divine guidance coming fresh from the throne of His grace. As we look to Him for our daily bread, we also need to look to Him for our daily guidance, daily wisdom, and daily grace. Just because we live in fast-paced society, it does not mean that God is obligated to answer us at the same speed that we get our answers from other places. God operates in His own timetable, and He will show us what we need to know when time comes.
To summarize Psalm 33, this passage shows us that when we begin to rejoice in God and remind ourselves of His goodness and leadership, our soul and spirit begins to rest in God. Man’s strength is vain hope and that includes our own natural strength, so we need to settle our minds and hearts that if the answers aren’t clear, we may need to wait. God is working things out, and He will make things clear if/when a decision needs to be made. Until such a time, we continue to live our lives with faith, hope, and love knowing that we are not alone and that the Holy Spirit is with us leading and guiding us every day. Praise Him!