Our Bible study group decided to interrupt our journey through 1 Corinthians for the month of January and read through a 31-day devotional taken from Andrew Murray’s book, Waiting On God. It’s been a wonderful start to the new year.

As the title implies, each day’s reading focuses on an aspect of what it means to “wait” on God. So far, much of the inspiration has come from the Psalms. David certainly knew what it was to wait. He was anointed to be king as a teenager, but it would be decades before that came to be – years filled with a lot of unjust suffering. I imagine doubts arose in his mind and heart at times, and he felt like asking, “What are you doing, God? Have you forgotten me, God? Do you see what is happening, God?”

David was learning about the character of God. He had to set aside his trust in what he could see and believe what God said, about Himself, and about David. He had to learn to wait.

Psalm 33 is a great example and an encouragement to us as we look around at our culture and the declining path our world is taking. It also encourages me as I pray for my loved ones – family and friends – who do not have salvation.

Psalm 33:4-5 – For the word of the Lord is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice: the earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.

Everything God does is good and right. Everything He has said is yāšār, a Hebrew word meaning correct, straight, fitting, proper, level, and pleasing. His work is done “in faithfulness,” or in truth (KJV). It is firm, steadfast. God is faithful to Himself – His divine nature and character (righteous, holy, just, good, and out of love). Nothing He does is “out of character” unlike humans who change their feelings on a whim.

God’s work is also faithful to His divine plans and purposes as we see in these next verses.

Psalm 33:10-11 – The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation.

Despite how absolutely crazy the world can be, and how much power the ungodly seem to wield over us, God’s plans will not be thwarted. I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted (Job 42:2). What God intends to accomplish will come to be, and what He does not want to happen, cannot and will not happen. And don’t miss that last phrase – from generation to generation. It may take generations … we may not see it happen in our lifetime, but the counsel of the Lord stands forever.

God not only makes plans and fulfills them, but He is also perfectly aware at all times of every detail concerning those plans. He sees what is going on in our world. He sees into the hearts of men whom He created, and He knows exactly what is in their hearts.

Psalm 33:13-15 – The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; from His dwelling place He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth. He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works.

While at a certain level this is a bit scary (and should put the fear of God in us), it is reassuring. God saw, and still sees, our hearts with all our natural rebellion, and still saved us, adopting us into His family. And He sees into the hearts of our loved ones who are resistant to His offer of salvation and knows exactly what it will take to bring them to repentance and salvation. He is fully able to do the work of regeneration and redemption because He understands what they are thinking, feeling, and believing. The Holy Spirit is powerful enough and wise enough to destroy the false beliefs that keep men bound in their sin. He did it for us, didn’t He?

Psalm 33:18-19 – Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear Him, on those who hope for His lovingkindness, to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine.

Here is reassurance that when the going gets tough, God will see us through. We know it’s not “if” but “when.” Scripture tells us that hard times will come at the end of the age and God’s people will be persecuted. It’s already happening all over the world. But God will deliver our souls from death, and He knows how to keep us alive in the famine. He is trustworthy, for His eyes are upon us who fear and hope in Him.

So what do we do? What is the reasonable conclusion to these truths about who God is, and what He is doing?

We wait on God.

Psalm 33:20-21 – Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name.

We wait for God to set all things right.

We wait for His work to be done in faithfulness.

We wait for God to frustrate the plans of the enemy.

We wait for God to save our loved ones.

And don’t miss this…we wait with joy. Our hearts rejoice, because we trust not in what we can see, or what we can control, or what we can accomplish in our flesh. We rejoice because we trust in His holy name – the Mighty God whose plans will not be thwarted, and Who does all things in righteousness, faithful to His own character and purposes.