Psalm 33 (Part One)

Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise. (vv 1-3)


Calling the righteous ones; all who love the Lord and live by His word. The psalmist encourages you to bring praises before the Lord because you look great doing so! Isn't this a wonderful thought? He urges musicians to serenade and celebrate the Lord with their instruments, and for singers to create new melodies in God's honour. In Eph 5:19-20, Paul puts it this way:

Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ. (The Message)

Praise looks good on the righteous.

You may insist you have nothing to offer if you don't play an instrument, or feel your voice should not be heard outside the confines of the shower, but that is not God's perspective. For a start, He gave you that voice, and knows exactly how it sounds - yet He encourages you to lift it up to Him. Secondly, God is looking for sincere worship, and if yours is from a loving, pure heart, the praise you offer is beautiful, according to this psalm. Sometimes we are intimidated by the skills and talents of others, and may feel inferior when faced with beautiful singing and music, but the Lord looks beyond apparent vocal beauty, searching the hearts instead (v 15). If yours is full of love and adoration, let those emotions pour from your lips in joyous praise; the way you sound will not surprise Him.

When you are going through trials, or your very existence is hanging by a thread, it can be difficult to find reasons to praise God. Often, we may consider singing and praising God when we think of something He's done specifically for us; but not find it so easy when times are rough. Let's learn from Paul and Silas' experience in Acts 16:

" A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!" (vv 22-26 NLT)

The apostles were hauled off to prison for preaching the gospel and setting a slave girl free from demonic possession (vv 16-21). They had every reason to be miserable and question God; but their actions went against logic. They accompanied their prayer with songs of praise, and God responded by sending an earthquake(!) to set them free; revival broke out in the jail, and the jailer and his family were born again! Throughout the Bible, amazing victories often resulted from praising God. (see the battle of Jericho)

We may not always be in such high profile situations, and sometimes our deliverance may be delayed, but we can find reasons to praise God if we search hard enough. The psalmist gives us a few:

"For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect." (vv 4-10)

We can praise God for what He has done in the past; for His awesome works; for His power; for His infallible word; His provision; His divine protection; and for the very fact that He is God! Look around at God's creation, remember His works from the beginning of time, consider His eternal plan for you and me, and in time you will be able to praise Him and rejoice!

And who knows? He just might stun you with a Jericho-style victory!

Psalm 33 Full Reading

The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright (c) 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved