Joy in the Face of Chaos: Psalm 33 (Part 2)

by on December 13, 2025

In its first half, Psalm 33 disclosed to us the reason behind its happy music—God’s power of creation and providence—and how this truth produces our blessed happiness. But why are the people of the Lord so happy, when the designs of the nations are broken and failing? Because near to the heart of God’s plans is the beatitude of his people. The first goal of God’s providential counsels is his own glory, but second to this, the Lord purposed to do good to his people in grace. If you are not very good at planning or time management, you find someone who is. A good wedding planner can save the day. Well, by grace, the Lord is our perfect controller and planner. He frustrates the schemes of the nations and he works his fool-proof plans for you and your salvation. Behind the chaotic facade of history lies the masterplan of our redemption.

And our Lord is more than capable to orchestrate his agenda, for he sees and knows all. From his royal perch in heaven, Yahweh gazes down upon all people. His eyes see everyone and everything about them. As it says, the Lord made the hearts/minds of them all. Inside and out, conscious and subconscious, God stitched and welded us together, and if the Lord constructed the hard drives of our minds, then he knows all the information upon them. Your deepest feelings, your most private insecurities, your secret dreams are all an open diary to the Almighty. God grants us privacy from others, but we have no such privilege before him. We like to think that we know ourselves; we are confident of our self-knowledge, but honest humility admits that it is not as thorough as we pretend. Frequently we do not know what we are feeling. The question is posed: “Why did you do that?” And we shrug, “I am not sure.” Yet, where our self-knowledge is partial, the Lord’s understanding of us is comprehensive. He sees the things we do and think in the dark. If he discerns all our covert strategies and classified intentions, then he can best them and employ them for his purposes.

Hence, what we consider to be the normal paths to success are not so much. What is the sure way for victory and control? It is by power, especially military might. A massive army, a king with hordes of weapons and fighters—these things work. If coaxing does not persuade, there is always brute force. Under abusive torture, everyone eventually caves, or they can be killed, permanently removed. If there is anything that the world trusts in for control and success, it is coercive power. He who has the most weapons wins.

But this is not the secret sauce; it is not the fool-proof foundation to trust in. The race is not always to the swift; the victory is not guaranteed for the biggest army. Kings cannot save themselves by their military. Chariots are a lie for victory. History records plenty of evidence of the underdog, the small felling the big, David toppling the Goliath. Besides, even if swords and heroes conquer for an earthly triumph, these are not the contours of true salvation. Real deliverance cannot be limited to this age, this life, but it must extend further, beyond death into the age to come.

Genuine rescue comes from the Lord, and it falls upon those who fear him. It says that the eye of the Lord is upon his fearers in steadfast love (v. 18). This is the normal use of the term for special, saving grace. To fear God includes true faith and trust in him, so for those who rest in God, he eyes them in merciful love. God foils the evil machinations of the world; he does not deliver by warriors and weapons, but he does save by grace those who believe in him. He delivers their souls from death, and he sustains through the famines of the curse. By his unthwarted providence, the Lord rules the nations, and he coaches his perfect plan of salvation for those who trust in him.

Therefore, the happy gratitude of this psalm has carried us from the wonders of our Lord’s attributes to the splendors of creation, the mastery of his providence, and finally to the marvels of our salvation, which lie at the heart of his providential counsels. From creation to redemption, from the ancient beginnings to the life that is beyond death, this is the music of this psalm. And the Lord’s plans control it all with perfect management. Behind the history and life that appears wild and feral to us is the artful design of Yahweh that is upright and beautiful, that is gracious and saving. God chose us; he made us his own out of his abundant mercy, and he is working everything for our everlasting happiness.

Note, however, that we must wait for this ultimate deliverance. God’s eye is upon those who hope in him. Our soul waits for the Lord. The closing petition is for the Lord’s steadfast love to be upon us as we wait for him. The glorious finish line of God’s plan is certain, but it is not yet. We belong to God; his love is upon us, but his full redemption is future. And to wait in the present means we still exist under the seeming chaos of the world. The schemes of the world yet target us; we are vulnerable to the weapons and soldiers of foes. Sure, the Lord is our help and shield as we wait; he protects us from any ultimate harm, but the bruises and scorns of hard providence trouble us. The darts and missiles of evil take aim at us. Random misfortunes and hazards remind us that we are not in control. There is no higher blessing than to belong to the Lord and his love, but to wait upon the Lord hurts.

So then, how do we wait? Well, the joyful harmony of this psalm elucidates our waiting: “Our heart rejoices in Him; we trust in his holy name” (v. 21). We wait for God, then, with joy and faith. We are patient by trusting in the sovereign providence of the Lord, by believing that his saving grace never fails. And we stand in line for glory with joy; gladness swells within our hoping hearts. And what is the source of joy amid the toils of waiting? It is God, his justice and truth, his creative Word, his faithful works, and his undying steadfast love. Even as the anxiety and difficulties of providence disturb us, we have a bubbling fountain of joy in the wonders of our Lord, Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer.

Particularly, the spring of faith and joy bubbles up from the work of Jesus Christ. At its core, this psalm celebrates the Lord’s providential love for us that overcomes the violent and harsh schemes of the world against us. God foils the wisdom of the world to work for us an enduring victory. And where did this happen in the most decisive and fundamental way? It was at the cross. The crowds of Judea and Galilee looked for a Messiah with horses and swords. The Pharisees demanded a militaristic Messiah. They trusted in the weapons of the world. And of course, Rome was the world, so the standard operating principle was violent coercion. The Jews and Romans did not agree on much, but they were of one accord on this—that real power is military might. If the Messiah does not play this game, then he is useless.

Hence, the priests and the gentile rulers conspired together against the Lord’s anointed. The world and the church schemed and planned to defeat the Servant of the Lord. If they can kill the Savior, then salvation is lost, and God is defeated. With their united wisdom and power, they could not lose. And sure enough, the political and the ecclesiastical nailed Jesus to the tree. They crucified the Author of Life, murdered the Son of God, slew the Good Shepherd. They played the trump card that had never been defeated—death. Whoever holds the power of death wins, and the priests and rulers executed this capital power. As the sun set on Good Friday, it appeared that victory belonged to the world and God had lost. But little did the nations know that God was laughing in heaven.

The death of the Son of God was not his defeat, but his victory. By death, Jesus conquered death. By being executed as a criminal, Christ was victorious over sin and the curse. The world’s plot for victory was God’s counsel to vanquish them. The wisdom of the world is folly to God; the power of the nations is wimpy to the Almighty. Even today, the most scornful part of Christianity to the world is the cross. At best, the world sees the death of Jesus as a sad end to a decent man, at worst, it is unjust child abuse. But what is folly to the world is God’s wisdom. What is weak to the nations is the Lord’s might. And what is shameful to unbelief is glorious salvation to those who believe. In Christ and his death and resurrection, our faith finds a certain foundation for deliverance. By his blood, we have forgiveness. By Christ’s obedience, we are justified. By his death, we are given life, and by his resurrection, eternal glory is ours by grace. The work and cross of Christ is the concrete evidence for our faith and salvation that God is the master of history and that his steadfast love is upon us forever.

And having the surety of Christ, our waiting upon him is doable; even more so, it is seasoned with joy. If the Father conquered for us in Christ, then there is no way he will fail us now. Sure, waiting under providence is hard; the anxiety of chaos nips at our heels, but through faith in Christ, God’s love reminds us that he is in control. He is working everything for the good of those who love him. Christ is at the right hand as our almighty King ruling and defending us against all his and our enemies. And with Jesus as our loving Savior and Ruler, this imparts to us a calm and a joy. It enables us to join the happy gratitude of Psalm 33 and sing with all our hearts.

Therefore, let us joyfully shout for our Lord Jesus. May we sing glory to the Father and praise the beautiful works of the Spirit. May we rejoice in God for creation, for providence, and for an everlasting free redemption. For as we praise and trust in Christ, he is our ever-present shield and help; Jesus is our guarantee that it is good to wait upon the Lord.

©Zach Keele. All Rights Reserved.

You can find the whole series here.

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  • Zach Keele
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    Rev. Zachary Keele grew up on a ranch in a small town named Crawford, Colorado. He attended Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania and received his Master of Divinity from Westminster Seminary California. He has served as the pastor of Escondido OPC since 2006.

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