So, why do we praise the Lord? What is so wonderful about Him that makes us want to worship and glorify Him? Well, the natural world should give us plenty of inspiration, shouldn’t it? After all, God didn’t just use the languages of gravity, physics, and DNA to make the stars, the oceans, and all of us. No, by simply speaking those languages, He brought everything that exists into being (verses 6, 7, and 9)

But we know that God isn’t just unimaginably powerful and wise. No, His creation also displays His lovingkindness – His faithful, covenant-keeping, unconditional love (verse 5). That’s why we can be confident that the sun will come up every morning, because the Lord makes the world spin on its axis. That’s why we can plant our gardens about this time every year – because the Lord has promised that the seasons will follow one another as long as the earth remains (Genesis 8:22)

Of course, we can go on living in fear of things like invading armies or lab experiments gone horribly wrong. And in the face of such fears, we can look to our governments to protect us and provide for us. But what king, what army, or what armaments can possibly match God’s amazing power (verses 16-17)? And while our wisest scientists were still trying to figure out whether COVID was transmitted by touch or by breathing, or whether it’s a disease of the blood or the lungs, God isn’t caught off-guard even by the worst of plagues. No, He sees and understands everything (verses 13 and 15) – even sicknesses from the Bubonic plague and Yellow Fever to the Spanish Flu and COVID-19, even the ambitions and plans of tyrants from Napoleon to Hitler to Putin.

And that’s why, instead of clinging to control over every detail of our lives, we can trust that the Lord will use His power for the good of those who love Him. Instead of being frustrated when things don’t work out the way we think they should (verse 10), we can simply receive His blessings in whatever form He sends them to us. In fact, those who trust in Him can be confident that He will deliver us, even from wars and plagues and famines (verses 18-19). So while we wait for Him to help us and protect us (verse 20), let us turn away from fear and rejoice in Him, trusting in His amazing power, grace and love.

Psalm 33 (NASB)

Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright.
2 Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.
3 Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
4 For the word of the LORD is upright; And all His work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deeps in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9 For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The LORD nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.
13 The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men;
14 From His dwelling place He looks out On all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works.
16 The king is not saved by a mighty army; A warrior is not delivered by great strength.
17 A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.
18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness,
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 our shield.
21 For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name.
22 Let Thy lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us, According as we have hoped in Thee.