Psalm 33

Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance. From Heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth- he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.

No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.

I love the story of the test pilot whose experimental plane suddenly stopped flying at 30 thousand feet. His immediate prayer was, “OK Lord, it’s going to take both of us to get out of this one. How about you get us safely back on the ground, and then I’ll taxi us back into the hangar?”

Isn’t it comforting to know that no matter how large and complex our problems become, we have Someone Who is equal to the task of solving them?

It’s also ironic how our difficulties are mostly caused by our own demand for self-determination, but as soon as they get too big for us to handle we run to the Lord for a solution. Of course He saw this coming and has waited patiently for us to realize what a mess we’ve created and return to Him for deliverance.

Neither mighty teams of associates, nor personal ability, nor the strength of man’s most powerful technology can deliver us. But the Lord, who has been watching all along, is there as soon as we call to help fix things.

He won’t impose His solution on us, His respect for our sovereignty is too great for that. But as soon as we call He’s there, ready willing and able to do as much as we’ll allow. Thank Him for being bigger than any problem you can create, and know that when you next leave the house, He’s going before you, your help and your shield. All you have to do is call.