NEW DAY, NEW SONG
Opening Prayer
Lord, despite earthly distractions, I know that You are there.
Read PSALM 33
Psalm 33
1 Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
2 Praise the Lord with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.
4 For the word of the Lord is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
5 The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars[a];
he puts the deep into storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the people of the world revere him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The Lord foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people he chose for his inheritance.
13 From heaven the Lord looks down
and sees all mankind;
14 from his dwelling place he watches
all who live on earth—
15 he who forms the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.
16 No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
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 be with us, Lord,
even as we put our hope in you.
Footnotes:
a Psalm 33:7 Or sea as into a heap
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
“You’re my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me” (Psa. 119:114, The Message).
Think Further
In the world and all too frequently even in the church we tend to pursue novelty. The Teacher in Ecclesiastes laments the absence of anything genuinely new, but the psalmist’s invitation, “Sing to him a new song” (3), is not about innovative music; rather, it’s a heart-song that arises out of a fresh awareness of just how awe-inspiring and praiseworthy our God is.
Sin hinders praise. Psalm 32 teaches that confession and cleansing are required before the “upright in heart” can reacquire joy and sing praises. Spiritual dryness also inhibits the kind of heartfelt praise the psalmist calls for here. Staleness drains the spark from any relationship; rekindling that spark takes determination and dedication. Isn’t every new day an opportune moment to take a fresh look at old familiar realities: God’s works of wonder in creation (6–8) or his words of wonder in the Scriptures (4)? After the Teacher’s pessimistic comments on life “under the sun,” Psalm 33 offers an “above the sun” perspective, inviting us to look up to the Creator, look around at his wondrous works, look back and recall his deliverance and recognize his sovereign rule. Despite all that is “crooked” or “lacking” on earth, the God who looks down from his dwelling place in heaven (13,14) remains in complete control. Although the Teacher pronounced life “meaningless” the psalmist proclaims that “Earth is drenched in God’s affectionate satisfaction” (5b, The Message).
The psalm begins with a call to praise; it closes with an affirmation of hope. We place our hope in a God of unrivalled power as well as unfailing love; a transcendent God, wholly holy, but also God-with-us, involved in every aspect of our life.
Apply
Read Psalm 33 in The Message. Let its message come alive in the freshness of contemporary language and imagery. Praise God with your own new song!
Closing prayer
Lord, we continue to marvel at Your perfect righteousness, perfect knowledge and perfect control of things here on earth.
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.