Psalm 33:12-22
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 be with us, Lord,even as we put our hope in you.
“From years ago there was a popular song, From a Distance by Bette Midler. I really liked that song… until I listened to the lyrics. Here is part of that song.
From a distance the world looks blue and green
And the snow capped mountains white
From a distance the ocean meets the stream
And the eagle takes to flight
From a distance there is harmony
And it echoes through the land
It’s the voice of hope
It’s the voice of peace
It’s the voice of every man
From a distance we all have enough
And no one is in need
And there are no guns, no bombs and no disease
No hungry mouths to feed.
From a distance we are instruments
Marching in a common band
Playing songs of hope
Playing songs of peace
They are the songs of every man
God is watching us
God is watching us
God is watching us from a distance
This song says that God is watching us from a distance. He is so far away that everything looks wonderful. “no one is in need. And there are no guns, no bombs and no disease, no hungry mouths to feed….”
We know that is not true. God is right here with us. He sent Jesus to live here with us, live as one of us. Philippians 2:5-7 tells us “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”
Psalm 34:18 tells us “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Matthew 10:30 tells us just how close God is, “And even the very hairs of your head are numbered.”
And, last but not least, His very Name is Emmanuel, God With Us.
And to just touch on the rest of today’s reading, He knows the struggles and battles of His children, those who fear (are in awe of) Him. We cannot win these on our own, by trusting in horses, or anything else here on earth. He fights for us. AND HE NEVER LOSES. He is MIGHTY GOD!