Day 904: Psalm 146- Hallelujah From The Heart

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
    I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 Put not your trust in princes,
    in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
    on that very day his plans perish.
 
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
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.
9 The Lord watches over the sojourners;
    he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
    but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The Lord will reign forever,
    your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
 
Meditation
God’s saving work draws worship from our hearts. Praise pours forth from a heart transformed by grace.
 
“Hallelujah!” is the repeated word to emphasize praise to the Lord arising from the depth of our being (1, 2, 10) and for the breadth of our lives (2). The Lord alone is the help and hope of His people (5). The Lord is Creator, covenant maker, and provider for the vulnerable (6-7). The Lord gives justice, sets prisoners free, gives sight to the blind, lifts the lowly, watches over the vulnerable, cares for the widow and fatherless, loves the righteous, and ruins the way of the wicked (7-9).
 
The Lord is worthy of all our hope and praise because He is the one who is our help. We do not put our trust in the influential people and powers of the world- there is no salvations for us from their short-term strength (3-4). Our only help is from the Lord. He is our only hope. Blessed is the one who trusts the Lord.
 
We praise the Lord as King who reigns eternally and whose faithfulness is to all generations (10). Hallelujah to the King!
 
Jesus is the fullness of praise from this passage. Jesus is the King who changes our hearts so we learn to sing “Hallelujahs!” with all the saints who are saved by grace. The work of Jesus draws worship from our hearts as we put all our hope in Him.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What parts of praise jump out to you from the passage? Why?
 
-Where do you put your hope for help other than the Lord, the princes and powers of the world?
 
-How can you more fully trust the person and work of Jesus? Where do you specifically need to trust in Him and give Him hallelujahs from your heart?
 
Key Verse
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God,