Greetings to each of you in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.  Today, I am divinely inspired to provide encouragement through an applicable exposition of Psalm 33:18-22 which reads:

¹⁸  Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;

• God’s eye is upon believers who fear Him and who hope (trust) in His mercy.
• God wants us to know He is watching over us.
• Whatever we are going through, be encouraged knowing that God is watching over us; therefore, we don’t have to worry or fear anyone.

¹⁹  To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.

• God will deliver the soul of believers from eternal death.  Hell is not the eternal abode of people who have been born again.  We do not have to walk in fear of death on earth even though people are dying daily for numerous uncontrollable reasons.
• God will keep believers alive in dire circumstances.  As God is able to keep us alive amid a famine, He is able to keep us alive amid a pandemic.
• “No weapon formed against us shall prosper” (Is. 54:17).

²⁰  Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.

• The soul of each person is the true identity of each person, and the soul of each believer is waiting on the Lord.  This means that we trust only in the Lord.  Like Job, we will wait until our change comes (Job 14:14).  Moreover, Isaiah informs us that our strength is renewed by waiting on the Lord.  We will soar on wings like an eagle.  We will run without becoming weary and walk without becoming faint (Is. 40:31).
• God is our help.  Believers do not look to man for help, but we look to God for help because He is the One who has helped us every time we were in need.  God is a very present help, especially when we are in trouble (Ps. 46:1).  Our nation is in trouble, so let’s seek God for help.  We learn in Psalm 121:1-2 to look unto the hills from whence comes our help because our help comes from the Lord, the maker and creator of heaven and earth.
• God is our shield.  Believers are protected by God’s shield, and we are clothed with the Whole Armour Of God.  Most of us have survived without being infected by Covid-19 because of God’s shield.  Praise God for being a shield safeguarding us from anything hazardous.

²¹  For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.

• Believers rejoice in the Lord with all of our heart.  Our joy is not in this world, but our joy is in the Lord.  Philippians 4:4 reads:  “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”  We are capable of rejoicing even in the midst of all the turmoil we encounter.
• Our heart is able to rejoice in the Lord because of the trust we have in His holy name.
• Each morning we should wake up acknowledging that “this is the day which the Lord hath made… [so,] rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps. 118:24).  Let’s begin each day with God on our mind instead of the news and negative current events.

²²  Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

• Our prayer is for God’s mercy to be upon us.  We implore God for His loving-kindness based on the hope we have in Him.
• We can have a Praise Party right now because of God’s mercy!  Praise God that we did not receive the severe punishment that we deserved!  Praise God for having mercy upon us when we were wrong and sinful!  Praise God we can begin each morning with His new mercy because His faithfulness is so great!  Praise Ye The Lord!

I don’t know what part of Psalm 33:18-22 speaks directly to you and your situation, but I praise God for His living word.  “God’s word is truly a lamp to our feet and a light to our path” (Ps. 119:105).  Identify and embrace something in Psalm 33:18-22 that pertains to you and your situation.  Be encouraged, my beloved, and live without fear and despair because God is watching over us.

God who is watching over us enjoys blessing us, and He promises to bless us abundantly when we are faithful contributors of Tithes and Offerings (Mal. 3:10).  We give currently by mailing or dropping off our Tithes and Offerings to our St. John South Campus (662 South 52nd Street—Richmond, CA  94804) or by giving online through our website (sjmbc.org).

May God bless and sustain each of us in this new year.

Your Servant In Christ,

Dr. Kevin B. Hall, Pastor