Psalm 33:13–17 (NASB 95)
13 The LORD looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men;
14 From His dwelling place He looks out
On all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 He who fashions the hearts of them all,
He who understands all their works.
16 The king is not saved by a mighty army;
A warrior is not delivered by great strength.
17 A horse is a false hope for victory;
Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.
Examine / Explain
Yahweh gazes at His creation from His dwelling place. He observes the sons of men, considering their actions. He knows their intentions full well, as He has formed their very hearts. Nothing escapes His sight. Men place their trust and faith in other men, deeds, or other forms of strength. But these things will not save a man. Man is not strong enough to do anything on his own. It takes the Creator to heal the brokenness of His creation.
How do I apply this to my life?
Where am I still self-sufficient, and do I not look to the Lord to help me? Where is my pride hindering my walk with Christ because I can’t get out of my own way? Where does my heart think it knows better than the one who created it? Yahweh gazes at me. He can see me from His thrown. He knows my thoughts better than I do. He knows my intentions better than I do. I will lie to myself to convince my mind and heart that whatever I do is ok. I will lie to my heart to get what pleases me, and the LORD can see every bit of it. That is scary and comforting at the same time. We all want to be seen, known and loved. We all desire to be heard. He always hears us. Even when we think He doesn’t. Just because He doesn’t answer us in a time or way that we want doesn’t mean He doesn’t care. His plan is for His glory to be higher than the things I can think of. Even in my prayer, I find selfishness in the things that I want. But does my heart align with His? Are some of the things I want falling under His will? I say yes. I want to help the hearts of others. I want to hear and see others. I want them to know they are loved and that God can see them, too. We must stop looking for our significance in the things of this world. Find and try to find trust and salvation in the things we can hide behind. It won’t work. We try to guard our hearts by hiding them out of self-protection. We want an army to protect us. When the truth is if we are vulnerable with others in His creation, we will see the heart of God. In that vulnerability, a reflection lets us know we are seen and known by our creator. And our heart, that He fashioned, can be healed by only Him.
What is my response?
Father, you see me. You know my actions and intentions. You can observe my motives in life better than I can. I think right now, just knowing my heavenly Father sees me is enough for me. Being yoked with Jesus is enough for me. Will I continue to look for ministry opportunities and ways to encourage others? Yes. But I believe I can quit striving for approval from someone or something because I now have a better understanding of my relationship with God. I am weak and nothing without Christ. Amen.
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