December 29, 2022 - Psalm 33

Psalm 33 continues the previous psalm with calls to the righteous: “Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!” – “Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre.” – “Make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!” – “Sing to him a new song.” Further, the assertion is made, “The earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord” (33:5), an assertion which we can heartily affirm. Here, toward the end of the year, we often take some time to reflect on our many blessings. When the psalmist, and others, speaks of the steadfast love of the Lord, he declares that the Lord’s goodness toward his people is never ending. Remember how the prophet Jeremiah put it? “This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’ The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him” (Lamentations 3:21-25). From age to age, in every circumstance, and in every generation, the people of God agree: “The Lord is good!”

Daily doth th’ Almighty giver

bounteous gifts on us bestow;

his desire our soul delighteth,

pleasure leads us where we go.

Love doth stand

at his hand;

joy doth wait on his command. -- Joachim Neander (1899)