Musings and Contemplations

Faith in God’s Loving Attention

Almighty God,
Give us the increase of faith, hope, and love; and, that we may obtain what you have promised, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
(Anglican Book of Common Prayer, Proper 14)

Psalm 33:13-22 NRSV
The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all humankind. From where he sits enthroned, he watches all the inhabitants of the earth – he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.
A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save. Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield. Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

The Trusting Heart
The testimony of the Lord’s people is one of (a) constancy of hope (confident expectation), not just of the final outcome—future and eternal hope—but the hope which assures us that in every circumstance he is our help and our shield; (b) joyfulness of trust. The rejoicing heart is the product of trust which rests on what the Lord has revealed about himself (name) and on his character (holy), whereby he can never deny himself; (c) dependency of prayer. Love is intrinsic to all he does and the specific portion of his elect people. To pray that this love may rest upon us embraces all our needs in one petition.^[1]

Matthew Henry
All the motions and operations of the souls of men, which no mortals know but themselves, God knows better than they do. Their hearts, as well as their times, are all in his hand; he formed the spirit of each man within him. All the powers of the creature depend upon him, and are of no account, of no avail at all, without him. If we make God’s favour sure towards us, then we need not fear whatever is against us. We are to give him the glory of his special grace. All human devices for the salvation of our souls are vain; but the Lord’s watchful eye is over those whose conscientious fear of his name proceeds from a believing hope in his mercy. In difficulties they shall be helped; in dangers they shall not receive any real damage. Those that fear God and his wrath, must hope in God and his mercy; for there is no flying from him, but by flying to him.^[2]

Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us; let us always have the comfort and benefit, not according to our merits, but according to the promise which thou hast in thy word given to us, and according to the faith thou hast by thy Spirit and grace wrought in us.
(Matthew Henry)

My Life is In Your Hands

^[1] J. A. Motyer, “The Psalms,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 506.
^[2] Matthew Henry and Thomas Scott, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1997), Ps 33:12.