September 24 — Psalm 146

“Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long. Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish. Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD!”

The contrast between G-d and humankind is often used in the Psalms as a way of dealing with the problem of fear in the face of human threats: Trust G-d and be unafraid of mortals. Here the contrast is used to address the problem of trusting in various leaders who make promises to save people from the predicaments of human and historical existence. The problem with human leaders is that they don’t “keep faith forever”; or their plans and promises die with them, or they were never planned for action in the first place. With their death, or the death of their promises, the hopes of those who trusted in them are dashed.

I should note that this Psalm does not say that leaders are unnecessary or not useful. But it does warn against trusting any and all human leaders for salvation. Hope based on what passes away is doomed to disappointment.

In contrast, we trust and believe that “the Lord will reign forever”. When we place our trust and our hope on the reign of G-d through the promises of Jesus Christ, then attaching ourselves to Jesus’ reign is founded on a reality that does not pass away. The G-d of Israel is king of the universe — the G-d of Jacob is our stronghold.

Let us Pray:

Blessed indeed are they who put their trust in you, O God, our sure rock and refuge. Guard us from giving to any other the allegiance that belongs only to you. Shine upon us with the brightness of your light, that we may love you with a pure heart and praise you forever; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

September 23 — Psalm 145

“I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you, and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed, and I will declare your greatness. They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness, and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your faithful shall bless you. They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power, to make known to all people your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The LORD is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds. The LORD upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.” (Verses 1-15)

“The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.”

Martin Luther offers these words when he teaches about the blessings that are to be offered at meals: “How the head of the house is to teach members of the household to offer blessing and thanksgiving at meals….

The children and members of the household shall go to the table reverently, fold their hands, and say:

“The eyes of all look to You, [O LORD,] and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” (Ps. 145: 15–16)

Then shall be said the Lord’s Prayer and the following:

“Lord God, heavenly Father, bless us and these Your gifts which we receive from Your bountiful goodness, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”

When we are weary and discouraged our priority should be to acknowledge the greatness and the goodness of G-d. And when we come to the table to partake in the food placed before us, we should also offer words of thanksgiving and acknowledge the blessings we have been given. When we are facing difficult decisions or find our faith is being challenged, we should turn to G-d’s word including the reading of the Psalms to remind us we have a G-d who is to be praised for all G-d has done for us.

Let us Pray:

Loving God, you are faithful in your promises and tender in your compassion. Listen to our hymn of joy, and continue to satisfy the needs of every living thing, that all your creatures may bless your name, O God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, both now and forever.

Amen.