“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 while I have my being. Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his 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 sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!” (v1-10)
It was too hard to pick the best verses from this psalm – they are all so good – so I included them all. The unnamed author really captures the heart of those who follow God, those who know God is infinite and people are finite. They acknowledge God is all powerful and people are weak, and that we by default are imprisoned and blind.
God is truly the rescuer of those in need, those in prison (spiritually at least), those oppressed, those who are abandoned, those who wander, those who suffer loss, those who hunger or thirst, and those who are humble.
My challenge for today is to praise God using this psalm or words of your choosing – clarifying who God is, what He has done, and who we are in comparison. I also challenge us to root all of our faith in Him alone, and release any anger or resentment we have toward people who have broken our trust. People are fallible, yet God is not. Let’s name our hurts, but then forgive those who have hurt us, and celebrate the God of Jacob who frees us from the bonds of injustice and evil.
Father God, loving God of Jacob, we praise Your holy name. May all the earth proclaim Your greatness, for You are Creator and Savior, the Almighty King. Please teach us to fully rely on You alone, for You are the only One who will never break Your word. When others do wrong us, please help us to name that hurt, yet also to forgive and love them as You do. Thank you for making heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, keeping faith forever; executing justice for the oppressed, and giving food to the hungry. You set the prisoners free; and open the eyes of the blind. All honor, glory and praise be to You, O Lord God Almighty, forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training