Tehillim 33 and Tamuz 5778

According to Sod Torah's Rashei Teivot Search, there are 2 results for "תשעח" [the year 5778] in all of Tanach:

The first is from the plague of pestilence in Egypt:

(שמות ט, ב) כי אם מאן אתה לשלח ועודך מחזיק בם :

where every second letter of each word spells out תשעח.

The second is from Tehillim 33, which is recited every Shabbat morning:

(תהילים לג, יט) להציל ממות נפשם ולחיותם ברעב :
(תהילים לג, כ) נפשנו חכתה ליהוה עזרנו ומגננו הוא :

where every third letter of each word spells out תשעח backwards.

If you start from the word חכתה (which also starts the year תשעח), you'll notice that that word and the following 3 words contain a letter that spells out the month תמוז (Tamuz):

ת from חכתה
ו from לה'
ז from עזרנו
מ from ומגננו

It is interesting to note that of the months that correspond to the 12 permutations of Hashem's name, the month that corresponds to Hashem's name completely backwards (ה-ו-ה-י) is Tamuz.  It is therefore no wonder that תשע"ח is spelled backwards.

(Conversely, תשע"ח is spelled in the correct order in the first verse from the results above, which is talking about the Exodus of Egypt, which is connected to Nissan.  Nissan corresponds to the permutation of Hashem's name forwards: י-ה-ו-ה.)

The word חכתה means waiting, and, as the Malbim points out, it refers to waiting a long time for something, such as אִם-יִתְמַהְמָהּ, חַכֵּה-לוֹ, which is attributed to waiting for Mashiah.

In addition, the very next verse is:

כא  כִּי-בוֹ, יִשְׂמַח לִבֵּנוּ:    כִּי בְשֵׁם קָדְשׁוֹ בָטָחְנוּ.

21 For in Him doth our heart rejoice, because we have trusted in His holy name.

and the word "ישמח" has the same letters as Mashiah.  See also "סדר המחזור כמנהג אשכנזים" embedded below, where the interpretation of כי בו ישמח לבנו says that the verse refers to the coming of Mashiah.



It may therefore be saying:

כי בו - For in it, i.e., in Tamuz, 5778, hinted in the previous verses
ישמח לבנו - our hearts will rejoice since Mashiah will come
כי בשם קדשו בטחנו - for although Hashem's name is backwards in this month, we nevertheless trust in His holy name

כב  יְהִי-חַסְדְּךָ יְהוָה עָלֵינוּ:    כַּאֲשֶׁר, יִחַלְנוּ לָךְ.

22 Let Thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we have waited for Thee.

Amen, ken yehi ratzon!

(See also Rav Fish on 5778 Being the ץ regarding Tamuz of this year.)