Reading: Psalms 144-150
Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish (Ps. 146:1-4).
The Book of Psalms closes in an explosion of praise and worship to the Lord our God. The last five Psalms begin and end with the phrase, Praise the Lord. Throughout the text, His wondrous glory is written out for all to experience. Praise is given for God's greatness on a grand scale, as well as for His attention to detail in each of our lives.
In the 146th Psalm, the psalmist draws particular attention to the trustworthy, saving power of God. He does this by first pointing out the limitations of man: Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. No man, regardless of his level of intelligence or earthly power, can save himself or others from the certainty of death. Whether it belongs to a president or a prisoner, a pauper or a millionaire, every human body will fail at some point. Breathing will cease, and we will returneth to his earth.
To the psalmist, though, this was a statement of fact, not one of fear. Man might not be able to help himself, but God certainly could. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God (146:5). The psalmist knew that God was eternal (146:10) and that it was through God alone that the oppressed could be freed, the hungry could be fed, the blind could be healed, and the wicked could be defeated (146:6-9).
Christians today have an even greater promise to cling to. Through the work of Christ, death has been defeated. But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (II Tim. 1:10). For those of us who have accepted Him as Lord and Savior of our lives, our last earthly breath will be drawn not with fear but with joy as we prepare to look upon the face of God (Rev. 22:4). Like the psalmist, we too must remember that God alone is capable of fulfilling this precious promise. There is nothing that any of us can do to earn this privilege. Only those whose hope is in the Lord his God will be able to find solace in these blessed words, And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with Me in paradise (Luke 23:43).
May we all join with the psalmist and sing: Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise Him in the heights (Ps. 148:1). Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and His praise in the congregation of saints (149:1). Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary: praise Him in the firmament of His power. Praise Him for His mighty acts: praise Him according to His excellent greatness (150:1-2). Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord (150:6).
And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people (Rom. 15:11).
Thought for Today: If we allow our fear of death to outweigh our love of God, then we have falsely attributed more power to it than Him.
Christ Revealed: As the One who gives sight to the blind (Ps. 146:8). Jesus Christ opened blind eyes. Then touched He their eyes . . . . And their eyes were opened (Matt. 9:27-30; Mark 10:46-52; John 9:1-41).
Word Studies: 144:7 rid = rescue; 144:13 garners = grain storehouses; streets = fields; 145:3 unsearchable = beyond our understanding; 147:4 telleth = counts; 148:7 dragons = large sea animals.
Pray For Staff:Tifany Parisi • Government Officials: Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL), Rep. Ron Estes (KS) • Country: Thailand (67,741,401) Southeast Asia • Major Languages: Thai, English • Restricted Religious Freedom • 93.6% Buddhist; 4.9% Muslim; 1.2% Christian; 0.2% Other; 0.1% None • Prayer Suggestion: Thank the Lord for hearing your prayers (Ps. 28:6-7).
Optional Readings: II Timothy 4