READ Psalm 33:18–22.
18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.
20 We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.
HOPE THAT DOESN’T DISAPPOINT.
If you love someone, you are “quick-eyed” with them. You watch intently for the merest facial expression or gesture or tone of voice that hints at a need, so that you can meet it. Wonderfully, God loves us like that, his all-seeing eyes alert to both what threatens us and what nurtures us (verse 19). The psalm ends on a note of hope, but this is not a general optimism. The psalmist does not hope in God giving him this or that. He waits in hope for the Lord himself. He is focused “not on the gift (though there is a place for this: Romans 8:18–25) but on the Giver. Such hope will ‘never disappoint us’ (Romans 5:5).”
Prayer:
Lord, I can hardly believe that you, with your infinite power and glory, are watching me eagerly from heaven, filled with love, always attentive to my needs. You love me more—and infinitely more wisely—than I love myself. Help me to rejoice and rest in that enough not to worry. Amen.
Amen