Psalm 33:12-22 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 33:12-22 on biblegateway.com
Verse 12Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.
Verse 13The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all humankind.
Verse 14From where he sits enthroned he watches all the inhabitants of the earth-
Verse 15he who fashions the hearts of them all, and observes all their deeds.
Verse 16A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
Verse 17The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save.
Verse 18Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,
Verse 19to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
Verse 20Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield.
Verse 21Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.
Verse 22Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.
Devotion
Bishop Munib Younan, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jerusalem, was asked by one of his Jewish rabbi friends if he thought there would be a future for justice in their country. He responded, “As long as we believe in a living God, there is hope.”
The Rabbi’s question is honest. Hope is not a given. It can be beaten down, forced away, misplaced. It can waver and be inconsistent, depending on circumstances.The Psalmist prays for God’s love to be upon us – love that is steady, constant, solid. And for this stable love we can offer our hope that is earnest, but also unsure, weak or desperate at times. Yet, listening carefully to Bishop Younan and the Psalmist we learn that when we wait for a living God and when we trust in a living God, we will find reason to hope.
Prayer
Lord God of all ages, help us to wait. Amen.