Waiting on God to Act – Psalm 33

This morning I finished reading Psalm 33.  It has a great last verse:

`%l”) Wnl.x;îyI rv,ªa]K;÷ Wnyle_[‘ hw”åhy> ^åD>s.x;-yhi(y>

Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

It contains that great theological and comforting word ds,x, (chesed) – well translated here as steadfast love by ESV. Can this be the equivalent of grace in the New Testament? I think so (see John 1:14).

And then there is the verb (yachal) translated here as hope. Another meaning of the verb is simply ‘to wait.’ Isn’t that what hope is all about – to wait for God to act in history and in one’s personal life? Isn’t hope simply anticipation – a trustful expectation that God will act at the right time no matter how difficult and hopeless our circumstances look?

He will act – not because we are good and deserving, but because of his chesed!

Praise be to God!