Psalm 146 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 146 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Verse 2I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
Verse 3Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.
Verse 4When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.
Verse 5Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God,
Verse 6who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever;
Verse 7who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free;
Verse 8the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.
Verse 9The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
Verse 10The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord!
Devotion
Psalm 146 begins and ends with the words, “Praise the Lord.” The verses in between tell us why we should praise the Lord. Praise is acknowledging what God has done and who God is.
There is a warning in the psalm, “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals in whom there is not help.” Each day we face a choice, do I trust in God, or trust in my own plans and in my own strength? Scarcity thinking comes as we trust in ourselves.
Psalm 146 is a litany of abundance noting all God has done and will do in our world and in our lives. There will be challenges and obstacles in life, as the psalmist reminds us. But God comes and frees us and lifts us up. The psalmist seems to get caught up in praising God. Today, I encourage you to begin your day and end your day by praising the Lord.
Prayer
Praise the Lord! Let my heart sing your praises, O God. You are a God of justice, mercy, forgiveness, and grace. We praise you for your power made known in our lives. Amen.
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