Part 3: Psalm 146

1Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
3Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortals, in whom there is no help.
4When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
on that very day their plans perish.
5Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD their God,
6who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith for ever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
9The LORD watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10The LORD will reign for ever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the LORD!

The words of the psalm are not a fleeting ecstatic moment – the Psalmist acknowledges that God deserves to be praised a whole lifetime, even through tragedy. We are always empowered to make choices about how we view the world – is our cup half full or half empty? Do we understand the world from a perspective of scarcity or abundance?

This author has chosen the worldview of faith – realistic (even cynical) about the abilities of human authorities, God’s power is understood to be without limit, but intended for the defense of the powerless. The God of Jacob is the one who raises the second son to unexpected status, thus the world’s standards are overturned.

Mary Donovan Turner points out the use of 10 verbs to describe God at work: keeps faith; executes justice; gives food; opens the eyes; lifts up; loves; watches over; upholds; brings to ruin (the wicked). The righteous person is one who joins God in these works.

Question for Reflection:
1. Where do you see “the saints” working with God in those 10 ways?
2. Are you only comfortable with the first 9? Why?