“You are worthy, O Lord”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Saturday, August 19, 2023
Psalm 33 (Forward, p. 21) CEV p. 573
As I read over today’s psalm, I could not help but be reminded of something I discovered from the book of Revelation, the Revelation of St. John the Divine, when I first heard it read out loud in its entirety. Up until then, I had always read it--or heard it--in bits and pieces. What struck me so negatively back then was all the nasty, terrible bits, all the doom and destruction and judgment. But, when hearing it as one single unit, I could not help but be impressed with its theme of praise. A chord of praise to God runs all through it, like some kind of heavenly chorus or refrain. Indeed, the praise theme gave the entire book an entirely different feel and atmosphere. What it said to me, over and over, was that “You, O Lord, are worthy”—worthy of all praise, honour, respect and obedience.
It is exactly that sort of thing that today’s psalm picks up on. (The fact that my present translation, the Contemporary English Version, groups the psalm into stanzas helped me see this.)
Stanza 1, verses 1-3, simply introduces the theme, how God’s people especially should worship and praise God with instruments and song, making music to Him in His praise.
Stanza 2, verses 4-5, picks up on God’s character and nature, which certainly give us reason to praise Him: His truthfulness and trustworthiness,
His justice and fairness, and His kindness towards everyone on earth.
Then, in stanza 3, verses 6-9, we hear of His incredible work in creating the world and everything that is in it, the heavens, the seas and the dry land. And, indeed, is this not a wonder and a glory!
In stanza 4, verses 10-15, our psalmist speaks of God’s mind, and ours. It is interesting that he talks about both. Yes, while it is God who orders the world and its nations and sets everything in motion, He also gave us minds to think and plan and obey, and He expects us to use those minds to this end. Furthermore, He knows what we are thinking (see Psalm 139) and what we are up to and holds us accountable. And what He wants most of all is a people who will worship only Him.
In our last stanza, number five, verses 16-22, our psalmist then continues on with the kind of thinking we heard in stanza four. It is not just a matter of worshipping, serving and obeying God, but also a matter of depending upon Him. Earthly armies and weapons simply aren’t sufficient, they will always fail us: we need to trust God to save and protect us. Only God can be counted upon.
Indeed, all of these subthemes are well-worth thinking about, pondering and remembering, His character, His creativity, His mind and His dependability. Certainly, these things should move us not only to trust Him and Him alone, but also to continually offer up our praise. “For you, O Lord, truly are worthy.” Amen.
Forward notes: “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, by the breath of his mouth all the heavenly hosts” (verse 6).
“In the prayer book, every Saturday features readings and canticles that celebrate the goodness of creation. We risk being so taken by the need for salvation, change, redemption, and growth in the spirit that we forget the first assessment of things in the Bible: God saw what he had made, and it was good.
“Our faith begins in the goodness of creation—or it will lead us nowhere. Clearly, the goodness was marred. We live now East of Eden, and sin has left us scarred and the creation in tatters. But each Saturday, we are carried back to the glory of creation: ‘For he spoke, and it came to pass.’
“For too long, we have neglected the Saturday themes. We have failed to be good stewards of this ‘fragile earth, our island home.’ We suffer the predictable consequences of hubris, failed memory, and inadequate care for creation. Yet, even now, there is hope. Take time this Saturday to give thanks for the goodness of God’s creation and resolve to care for it like never before.”
Moving Forward: “Consider joining (or founding) a creation care group in your congregation. Every little bit of care helps.”