BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE HOPE IS IN GOD

Psalm 146:1-10 / Keywords 146:5

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,

 

Psalm 146

146:1 Praise the Lord.[a]

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.

Footnotes

a. Psalm 146:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 10

1. Soul, are you awake? Then praise the LORD! The LORD our God is the one who gives life to each one of us. It is fitting, therefore, to praise him all our days. The psalmist declares that those who put their trust and hope in God are truly blessed. The alternative is to put our hope in the princes of the world. This is what the world urges us to do. Day after day we are bombarded by advertisements that encourage us to put our trust in political leaders. We are easily swayed by the views of the famous and we treat the opinions of intellectuals as fact. However, those who put their trust in man instead of God will be disappointed. These people are but mortals whose lives and plans will disappear and vanish. Isn’t it better to put our hope and trust in the eternal God of Jacob who is faithful even when we are not?

 

2. We have abundant reason to praise the LORD. The psalmist describes his wonderful works in verses 6-9. Look at the verbs in these verses! The LORD remains, upholds, gives, sets, lifts up, loves, watches, and sustains. He does all of this out of his wonderful love for those who trust in him. Our God is attentive, compassionate, and merciful. It is this God who reigns forever and ever and because of him, our soul can be happy and full of joy.

 

Prayer Lord Jesus, our hope is in you alone forever. Praise your glorious name!

One Word Put your hope in God, not man