Read Psalm 146
1 Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
8 the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
10 The Lord reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord.
Go Deeper
Psalm 146 is the first of five “hallelujah” psalms that serve as the endcap to the book of Psalms. Each Psalm begins and ends with the Hebrew phrase hallelu-yah which is an exhortation to the reader to “praise the Lord!” By design, the holy book of poems concludes simply, reminding us again and again, “In every circumstance, praise the Lord!”
But Psalm 146 has even more direct insight into our world today. The Psalmist exhorts us not to trust in princes or in leaders who do not have the power to save. Even if they are not evil, they are incapable of saving others. No matter how much we prop up politicians and heroes as “the right person for the job,” salvation and hope are not found in their election. They are humans whose plans come to nothing the day they die.
Instead, the psalmist adjures us to set our hopes, our eyes, and our praises on the sovereign King who is faithful forever. He sees the weak, the oppressed, the fatherless, and He upholds their cause. Only those whose help is in the God of Jacob are truly blessed.
As we consider the maelstrom of society and seek to find answers to the very complex and devastating issues that plague our world, we must ask how much of our hope is placed in government and like-minded politicians and how much truly rests on the character and power of the Everlasting God. The Psalmist asks us to understand that no matter how good and godly our leaders are, our hopes in them will be crushed. But more than that, no matter how evil and destructive our leaders are, our hope in God can stand secure.
Questions
- How have you misplaced your hope in a human to save humanity?
- Consider where you place your hope. Do you trust in the character and power of God, regardless of who is politically in charge?
- What can you do to discipline your heart to set your hopes, eyes, and praises onto an everlasting and sovereign God and not have your peace disrupted by the “rise and fall” of earthly politicians?
By the Way
After reading Psalm 146, read Isaiah 61 and Luke 4:16-21. Deep dive into the correlation of Psalm 146 and its significance on the advent and purpose of Jesus’ ministry.
4 responses to “Psalm 146”
Most,(some) have had church hurt. This also applies to that. Man is fallible, the Word of God is not. Pray is the answer when you lose hope in “man”. BUT GOD rich in His mercy. Soon and very soon this will not be. But until that time comes pray, pray, and pray some more.
“We can see backward—to the cloud of witnesses and martyrs who told us the truth. We can see way, way forward—to the wiping away of all tears. We just can’t see right ahead of us. But we know that whatever happens, just like in the far past and in the far future, underneath are the everlasting arms.
Those who would save their lives must lose it, Jesus told us. And those who would find hope must lose that too. That’s true on Election Day and on Judgment Day, and on every day in between.” (Russell Moore)
God thank You for these minutes of this day. I say hallelujah!! (that is also WOOHOO in my verbiage). God I am so thankful to know that I know that You reign and rule. Today is all that I need to be concerned about. God I have several people in my world that are facing some unknown outcomes of diagnosis. God thank You for directing my path in what to not say, to say, to do or exactly how to bless them. God thank You for Psalm 91 2-4 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. Thank You that I can pray scripture and give it to those who are looking for answers. God thank You for today that in all I do and say I can honor and glorify You in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!
The psalmist declares why we should praise the Lord:
•he is the maker of heaven and earth
•he remains faithful forever
•he upholds the cause of the oppressed
•he gives food to the hungry
•he sets prisoners free
•he gives sight to the blind
•he lifts up those who are bowed down
•he loves the righteous
•he watches over the foreigner
•he sustains the fatherless and widow
•he frustrates the wicked
•he reigns forever
How can we not praise him?
Wow!
Good point in the comments about “our hope is placed in government and like-minded politicians”. They will let us down!
9 “sustains the fatherless and the widow,”
The Lord sees and hears those in distress!