Psalm 33:12-22

12 Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.
13 The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all humankind. 14 From where he sits enthroned he watches all the inhabitants of the earth— 15 he who fashions the hearts of them all, and observes all their deeds. 16 A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. 17 The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save.
18 Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 19 to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield. 21 Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.
Read these verses above a couple of times, then close your eyes and envision the scene painted in these verses. The Lord enthroned in heaven, looking down upon us, whose hearts have been fashioned by the Lord. The Lord observing our deeds. What do you think the Lord sees?
Our soul waits…
Our heart is glad…
We hope in you.
I see in these verses the relationship God desires to have with us, the great love God has for us, and the hope God provides for us.
Our soul waits…
Our heart is glad…
We hope in you.
Did you notice that both “heart” and “soul” are singular, not plural?
One heart. One soul.
In the prayer from the Gospel of John (chapter 17), Jesus prays that his followers may be one, as the Father and the Son are one.
I truly believe that the world would be a much different place if we looked at each other as a part of the “one.” We have heard it said many times over the past two and a half years that “we are in this together.”
St Paul writes these words to the church in Ephesus:
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-5 NRSV)
One more observation about today’s verses – steadfast love is mentioned twice.
Steadfast love. I think of that as a love that isn’t going to fade away. It just is.
God’s love endures. God’s promises will never fail. God is our help and our shield.
Together as one, let us give thanks to God!
Let us pray: Almighty God, our soul waits for you, for you are our help and shield. Our heart is glad in you, because we trust in your holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. We pray this in Jesus name, Amen.