"Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise. For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works. There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee." (Psalm 33:1-22)

          As children of God we are exhorted to praise the Lord. Psalm 33 shows many reasons why we should give Him our adoration. God is mighty and powerful and He deserves our praise. We should praise God because of His faithfulness and because of the power of His word. God deserves our praise because of His sovereignty. Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme or independent authority. We should praise the Lord because of all the concern He has show and continues to show for us. We must trust the holy name of the Lord. 

          An exhortation to praise the Lord -- Psalm 33:1-9: God is our magnificent creator and we must praise Him. God deserves our praise. It just makes sense for those who have been made righteous and upright by the mercy of God to praise Him. It is through the death of Jesus that atonement has been made and we also have peace with God through His precious blood. Atonement through Jesus certainly deserves our praise. It is only fitting for the righteous and upright to praise God. It is a beautiful thing for the righteous to praise God but it is not fitting for the unrighteous to praise the Lord. Praise from the ungodly is mockery to God.  The people were told to "Praise the LORD with harps! Use harps with ten strings to make music for him." Under the Old Testament instruments were used in worship. Regardless of what was done in Old Testament worship our worship today is determined by the New Testament where God says sing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:19) Every honest Bible student must admit that instrumental music in worship is not authorized in the New Covenant. David gave many reasons why we should praise the Lord. The Lord is truthful and He can be trusted. He is just, fair and kind to everyone on earth. He deserves our praise because He created all things by His word. God fixed the bounds of the seas and keeps them in their place. We should stand in awe of the Lord and honor Him as our Maker.

          Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord -- Psalm 33:10-19: The Lord destroys the plans of wicked nations. Their schemes are brought to nothing. The plans of the Lord will stand forever. His thoughts are for all generations. It is true both for individuals and nations that the Lord blesses those who worship only Him. He is concerned for each of us personally. He looks down from heaven beholds all the sons of men. God looks down from heaven and watches all who live on earth. He sees all that we do and He blesses all those who obey Him. You have been given a mind or the power of choice and God knows what you choose. Many trust in the wrong things for deliverance. Mighty armies alone cannot win battles for a king. Great strength by itself cannot keep a soldier safe. The strength of a horse could not be trusted to take a person to safety. No greater truth can be known than the fact that "The eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine." (Psalm 33:18-19)

          Waiting in hope for the LORD -- Psalm 33:20-22: After David had given reasons to praise God he said we must depend on the Lord to help and protect us. How amazing it is when we come to understand that your hope is in the Lord. As we praise the Lord we should meditate upon His character and His wonderful attributes. This meditation should cause our faith and trust in Him to grow. Always remember God's love for you and that His providence is at work in your life. Romans 8:28 is still true, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Our trust in God makes our heart glad. God is kind and blesses us! In response to this mercy we hope and trust in God.