A Word from Psalm 146

Who do you trust these days?

Now in asking that, I realize that many of us aren’t inclined to trust anybody! After all, it feels, at least, like a lot of the voices that cry out for our attention are driven by their own agenda and not by the common good. But still, I think it’s true that our daily attitudes and actions are guided by our trust in somebody. And so, it’s worth asking: Who do you trust these days?

Well, in today’s word from Psalm 146, the scriptures tell us this:

“Do not put your trust in princes…”
[And for what it’s worth, that includes “princes” of politics, and business, and science, and education, and even religion.]

     “in human beings who cannot save.

When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;

     on that very day their plans come to nothing.

Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,

     whose hope is in the Lord their God.” (146:3-5)

Of course, it’s easy to think we’re trusting God, when what’s really happening is that we’re being shaped by the voices that have our attention. And so the psalmist goes on to describe what makes God so trustworthy:

“He upholds the cause of the oppressed

     and gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets prisoners free,

     and gives sight to the blind.

The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,

     and the Lord loves the righteous.

The Lord watches over the foreigner

     and sustains the fatherless and the widow.” (146:7-9)

“This Lord,” the psalmist says, “reigns forever” (v. 10). So today, let’s praise Lord! And may our lives demonstrate our trust in Him. Amen.