Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:
Psalm 33:12-22 (ESV)
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! 13 The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; 14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, 15 he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. 16 The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. 17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. 18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 19 that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.
Try praying this section of Psalm 33 every day this week, as a way of reinforcing the practice of prayer. These words help us to look at the world and look at our lives from God’s heavenly perspective. The key is verse 33:18: God is on the watch for those who “fear” him. In the Bible, ‘fear’ means ‘eager watchfulness and readiness’. These are people who are not distracted by lesser concerns; they are always ready for God to surprise them with tasks and blessings.