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
“I planted this one five years ago. I had some trouble with the deer, but the seedling survived. It is doing well now.” So went conversations with my grandfather during our walks in the woods. As a hobby, my grandfather was a tree farmer in Washington state. From the path in the woods, he could point out Douglas fir seedlings at various stages of growth. He could recite their histories. For him, caring for trees was a lifelong commitment.
With the frantic pace of our culture, few things last a lifetime. We change jobs, we move, we lose touch with friends and family. The psalmist reminds us that God’s love, on the other hand, lasts forever. He never stops caring for those whom the world neglects. God remains faithful. No matter what else changes in our lives, we will find our greatest joy when we praise the Lord.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you that your love never ends. You give us so many reasons to praise you: You lift up those who are bowed down, you sustain those in need and you heal those in trouble. Set our hearts on praising you. Hallelujah! Amen.