October 31 - Psalm 146

October 31 - Psalm 146

The last five Psalms are often called the Hallelujah Psalms because they begin and end with the words Hallelu – Yah … Praise the Lord!

The Psalmist stands before his people singing, “Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live” (Psalm 146:1-2).

With this declaration, he proceeds to remind his listeners that placing trust in humanity will ultimately fail because humanity fades away.  All of the plans that we put our trust in become nothing when the person behind them is gone.

But, there is someone who never fails and who will never fade away.  The God of Jacob, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them.  This is the Lord who will be faithful forever.  His plans will last.  He cares for the oppressed and the hungry, He sets prisoners free and gives sight to the blind.  Those who are stooped under great stress and strain will be lifted up and He loves the righteous.  The Lord watches over the alien, the fatherless and the widow and He frustrates the ways of the wicked.

In this Psalm we see that the fallacy of following after the ways of the popular and the wealthy, the celebrities will do us absolutely no good.  Even though these people are much more fun to watch and attempting to emulate their behavior, the way they dress and admiring the things they purchase and support; they will die and all of the things they build up will fade away.  We would be living in nothing more than a house of cards, destined to fall with a simple flick of the finger.

The things that the Lord cares about are so much more mundane.  There isn't a lot of excitement and recognition, money or power in caring for people who are oppressed and hungry, who need our help.  The Lord’s priorities are so different from our own.  He doesn't call on us to build great wealth or acquire possessions. He doesn't ask us to design extraordinary lives that will bring power and notoriety.  He simply wants us to care for those who need us, no matter what position in life they have.  The least and the lost are well known to Him and He wants us to recognize their importance in the kingdom of God, something that is so different than the kingdoms the world builds up.

The Lord is eternal, He never changes.  He reigns forever, through all generations.  This is where we place our trust.