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Psalms 33
1Rejoice in the LORD, you ! Praise is fitting for the upright.
2Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre. Sing praises to him with the harp of ten strings.
3Sing to him a new song. Play skillfully with a shout of joy!
4For the LORD’s word is right. All his work is done in faithfulness.
5He loves and justice. The earth is full of the loving kindness of the LORD.
6By the LORD’s word, the heavens were made: all their army by the breath of his mouth.
7He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap. He lays up the deeps in storehouses.
8Let all the earth fear the LORD. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9For he spoke, and it was done. He commanded, and it stood firm.
10The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing. He makes the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect.
11The counsel of the LORD stands fast forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance.
13The LORD looks from heaven. He sees all the sons of men.
14From the place of his habitation he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,
15he who fashions all of their hearts; and he considers all of their works.
16There is no by the multitude of an army. A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
17A horse is a vain thing for safety, neither does he deliver any by his great power.
18Behold, the LORD’s eye is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his loving kindness,
19to deliver their soul from death, to keep them alive in famine.
20Our soul has waited for the LORD. He is our help and our shield.
21For our heart rejoices in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.
22Let your loving kindness be on us, LORD, since we have hoped in you.
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Questions this passage answers
Who is God?
God is the one living Creator who made everything and depends on nothing, and Scripture answers this question mainly by telling us his character rather than by defining his substance. When God described himself to Moses he said he is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abundant in loving kindness and truth, and yet will by no means clear the guilty. The New Testament adds that this God is finally known in Jesus Christ, who has made him known.
Who wrote the Bible?
The Bible was written by many human authors over a long period, and Scripture presents itself as God-breathed rather than as human opinion. Some books name their writer, some do not, and honest study says which is which. Paul calls every Scripture God-breathed, and Peter says no prophecy came by the will of man but that people spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, which is the Bible's own account of how both authors are involved at once.
Can the Bible be trusted?
Scripture claims to be true and invites examination rather than avoiding it. It says God's word is truth and that it stands when everything else fades, and the New Testament writers appeal to eyewitnesses, named places and public events rather than to private experience. Trust in Scripture is finally trust in the God who speaks in it, and the clearest reason a Christian gives for that trust is that Jesus treated these writings as God's own word.
How should I pray?
When the disciples asked this, Jesus answered with a pattern rather than a technique. Pray to your Father, in private, without performance and without needing many words, because he already knows what you need. The prayer he gave begins with God's name, kingdom and will, then asks for bread, forgiveness and protection. Scripture adds that we may bring everything, that the Spirit helps our weakness, and that we can ask with confidence when we ask according to God's will.