This week in Crisis Counsels we have been journeying through this passage in Psalm 33 –

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people God has chosen as his heritage. A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save. Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who revere him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; God is our help and shield.
Psalm 33:12,16–20

The ending verse of this passage says, “Our soul waits for the Lord.” To “wait for the Lord” means to patiently and expentantly look to God. Biblical scholars say that it denotes a kind of “active waiting,” in which one is receptive to God’s action and ready to participate in God’s work. The main idea is that rather than going it alone, we need to look to the Lord. This is crucially important for both individuals and nations! In facing the great challenges of our time, we need far more than our own wisdom and strength. We experience God’s delivering power, as the previous verses say, as we lift our hearts in faith.

Prayer – We wait, O Lord, for You, trusting in Your goodness and saving grace. Share on X

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About the Author

Dr. David A. Palmer has been the senior pastor at the United Methodist Church of Kent since 1995. He has a B.A. from Wittenberg University, a Master of Divinity from Duke University, and a Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary. A native of Wooster, Ohio, he has served three other churches in east Ohio before coming to Kent. He and his wife, Mavis, have three children.