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
Praise the Lord! Don't trust in mortals. How hard is that, though? I see the people who get the most attention and praise. I see those in power. I can taste the things money can buy, and I can really be excited by the future that people in power offer.
But God doesn't care about the newest fashion, the fastest car, the latest social media trend or what celebrity couple is together this week. God probably doesn't even care about powerful and influential people unless it concerns how they are treating others.
God cares about the unflashy—the poor, prisoners, the blind, strangers, orphans and widows—you know, those who won't really advance your popularity or status. But when our lives are finished on this earth, our money and fame and big houses won't matter. What matters is that the Lord is steadfast and true forever—and cares about how we treat others. Challenge yourself to care for others—and practice grace for yourself when you can't resist trusting mortals.
Prayer
Lord of all creation, you've given us beauty in this world and life. Guide our hearts to care for others in need rather than to follow the passions of this world. Help us follow you and trust what is good and true. Amen.