Psalms 31-33

Let's look at Psalm 33. 

What do your prayers consist of? Are they normally a long list of requests? Requests for provision, healing, blessings? These things are good and God tells us in His Word to pray in these ways, but have you ever spent time in prayer, intentionally focused on praising God for who He is? What about now, in the midst of a pandemic? Will you still praise God for who He is? 

Psalm 33 is what is known as a hymn of praise to God. At the beginning of this psalm, David invites the reader to "shout for joy...give thanks to the Lord...make melody to him...sing to Him a new song." In verses 4-19, David basically tells us why we should praise the Lord, and then in verses 20-22, David makes a proclamation of confidence and trust in the Lord. 

David says we should praise the Lord because His word is righteous and full of steadfast love (verses 4-5). We should praise the Lord because, by His Word, He created the heavens and earth (verses 6-9). We should praise the Lord because he is trustworthy and sovereign over all of the earth (verses 9-12).

I love the ending of this psalm because it ends in an affirmation of David's trust in God.

I want to show you through this psalm, that when you spend time praising God and giving thanks to God, it is easier to trust in God, to hope in God, and to not be afraid, even in difficult times. I want you to try this today. I know there are a lot requests we can bring to God, and I encourage you to bring those to Him, but spend time today in intentional praise for who He is and watch your confidence and trust in God begin to grow.