Totally Trustworthy
Opening Prayer
Father, You are God over all. There is nothing and no one who is like You. I safely put my trust in You alone.
Read PSALM 146:1-10
[1] Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, my soul. [2] I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. [3] Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. [4] When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. [5] Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God. [6] He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them- he remains faithful forever. [7] He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free, [8] the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous. [9] The LORD watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. [10] The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What wisdom does the psalm contain?Have you ever been let down by someone you thought you could trust? Most of us can answer “many times” to that. If we’re honest, we can probably also recall occasions when we have disappointed those who trusted us. Letting others down seems to be part of what it means to be human. Sometimes it’s our selfishness that makes us unreliable. But often it is simply that we don’t have the power to do all the things others might want us to do; we disappoint because the expectations placed on us are unrealistic.The psalmist warns us not to place our trust in humans, not even if they are princes (3). However good the intentions, human plans may fail (4). When we place our hope in human beings, we quickly find ourselves disappointed. Instead, we should trust in God (5). Because of his awesome power and might, he is able to fulfill the plans that he makes (6). Therefore we know that he is totally trustworthy. Yet not only is he all-powerful, our God is also good! He is on the side of the underdog: the oppressed, the hungry, the lonely (7-9). However often we may feel like outcasts, the psalmist reminds us that the Lord is our help and our hope (5).
Apply
Meditate on the biblical image of God as your Rock. What does this mean to you today?
Closing prayer
Gracious Lord, thank You that no darkness can prevail against the children of the Most High God.
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