Psalm 146 Common English Bible
Psalm 146
146 Praise the Lord!
Let my whole being[a] praise the Lord!
2 I will praise the Lord with all my life;
I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.
3 Don’t trust leaders;
don’t trust any human beings—
there’s no saving help with them!
4 Their breath leaves them,
then they go back to the ground.
On that very same day, their plans die too.
5 The person whose help is the God of Jacob—
the person whose hope rests on the Lord their God—
is truly happy!
6 God: the maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
God: who is faithful forever,
7 who gives justice to people who are oppressed,
who gives bread to people who are starving!
The Lord: who frees prisoners.
8 The Lord: who makes the blind see.
The Lord: who straightens up those who are bent low.
The Lord: who loves the righteous.
9 The Lord: who protects immigrants,
who helps orphans and widows,
but who makes the way of the wicked twist and turn!
10 The Lord will rule forever!
Zion, your God will rule from one generation to the next!
Praise the Lord!
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Psalm 146 is a rousing song of praise that celebrates God’s faithfulness.
We are reminded in this heart pumping psalm to praise the Lord and put our trust in him alone. For God alone “reigns forever . . . for all generations.”
“All glory to our God and King!” And it calls us to sing “Alleluia,” which means “Praise the Lord!” We give all praise because “Christ, the Savior of the world . . . has truly come!” We sing “Alleluia” because Christ’s is the highest name of all.
We are briskly reminded in Psalm 146 that God is the Maker of all things and that “he remains faithful forever.” With the coming of Christ, God fulfills his ancient promises to send forth the Messiah, the Savior; He is faithful forever.
Christ our King is alive! And because of his birth, life, death, and resurrection, he demonstrates his complete supremacy over all. He comes to uphold “the cause of the oppressed,” to give “food to the hungry.” He “sets the prisoners free . . . gives sight to the blind,” and “lifts up those who are bowed down.”
And because our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ reigns forever, we sing “Alleluia” until we shake the foundations of heaven; we “praise the Lord all of our lives.”
As a child, I remember asking my parents for reassurance after getting hurt or becoming ill: “Are you sure I will get better? Do you promise?” Usually, my mother would nod her head before assuring me that I would feel better soon. Only later did I learn that I was wrong to ask my parents to promise something they could never keep. Protect me from every harm and disaster? That is something no human can do.
Children naturally seek this protection, but the need for security remains as adults. We can often make the same mistake by misplacing our hopes: We cling to friends, spouses, governments, and rulers thinking they can provide the safety we crave, the promise that nothing bad will touch us or those we love. Only with time and experience do we learn not to put our hopes in people, for they will inevitably let us down.
What do we mean when we say “I hope so”?
If we are believers, hope is not just hope for its own sake, but hope in something and hope in someone.
We are invited to hope not by our own strength nor by the strength of anything in the world around us.
Rather, we are invited to hope by the character of God.
From those most ancient of days, God makes and keeps His promises, which means we can have a living hope for the future because of the Lord our God.
Psalm 146 points out the futility of trusting in earthly rulers and other leaders.
Although we might like to put our hope in princes of industry or in political leaders or in our own good efforts, this psalm makes it crystal clear that all those things will certainly decay, rust into complete uselessness, fade away.
Even our most respected human heroes have their limits.
The only true, remaining permanent source of perfect hope is the Lord God.
Acts 10:34-43 Common English Bible
34 Peter said, “I really am learning that God doesn’t show partiality to one group of people over another.35 Rather, in every nation, whoever worships him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 This is the message of peace that he sent to the Israelites by proclaiming the good news through Jesus Christ: He is Lord of all! 37 You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism John preached. 38 You know about Jesus of Nazareth, whom God anointed with the Holy Spirit and endowed with power. Jesus traveled around doing good and healing everyone oppressed by the devil because God was with him. 39 We are witnesses of everything he did, both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him up on the third day and allowed him to be seen, 41 not by everyone but by us. We are witnesses whom God chose beforehand, who ate and drank with him after God raised him from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Unlike the princes of ancient Israel and many political leaders today, the Lord cares for more than just the wealthy and powerful. The Lord makes promises in Psalm 146 to all people who are oppressed, hungry, imprisoned, and blind.
No matter who you are or how hopeless you may feel at times, God is the one true source of authentic unfailing hope. In times of despair, look first to him as your help for today and your hope for tomorrow.
Scripture tells us not to put our trust in humans since they have no ability to ultimately save us, and they will face an end like everyone else (Psalm 118:8-9; Isaiah 2:22).
Instead, we are to look to the Lord, who “is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them — he remains faithful forever” (Psalm 146:6).
He alone is the One who can give us the security and salvation we seek.
Not only does He sustain us, but He provides us with more blessings than we could ever deserve or imagine.
Instead of looking to something or someone to help us feel safe or reassured, may we look to the One who is the Author and Sustainer of life.
He breaks the chains of the oppressed and protects the vulnerable.
Out of anyone in our lives, even the most trustworthy, the Lord is the only One who will never let us down (Hebrews 13:5-6).
He won’t promise that nothing bad will ever touch us, or our loved ones, again.
But He does promise to be with us always.
And our future hope in Christ is forever secure: all will be well when we walk with Him in eternity.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit …
Praying ….
Psalm 27 Complete Jewish Bible
27 (0) By David:
(1) Adonai is my light and salvation;
whom do I need to fear?
Adonai is the stronghold of my life;
of whom should I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assailed me
to devour my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
they stumbled and fell.
3 If an army encamps against me,
my heart will not fear;
if war breaks out against me,
even then I will keep trusting.
4 Just one thing have I asked of Adonai;
only this will I seek:
to live in the house of Adonai
all the days of my life,
to see the beauty of Adonai
and visit in his temple.
5 For he will conceal me in his shelter
on the day of trouble,
he will hide me in the folds of his tent,
he will set me high on a rock.
6 Then my head will be lifted up
above my surrounding foes,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing, sing praises to Adonai.
7 Listen, Adonai, to my voice when I cry;
show favor to me; and answer me.
8 “My heart said of you, ‘Seek my face.’”
Your face, Adonai, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
don’t turn your servant away in anger.
You are my help; don’t abandon me;
don’t leave me, God my savior.
10 Even though my father and mother have left me,
Adonai will care for me.
11 Teach me your way, Adonai;
lead me on a level path
because of my enemies —
12 don’t give me up to the whims of my foes;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
also those who are breathing violence.
13 If I hadn’t believed that I would see
Adonai’s goodness in the land of the living, . . .
14 Put your hope in Adonai, be strong,
and let your heart take courage!
Yes, put your hope in Adonai!
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
