Sets Things Right - Wednesday Devotional
Psalm 146 (CEB)
Praise the Lord!
Let my whole being praise the Lord!
I will praise the Lord with all my life;
I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.
Don’t trust leaders;
don’t trust any human beings -
there’s no saving help with them!
Their breath leaves them,
then they go back to the ground.
On that very same day, their plans die too.
The person whose help is the God of Jacob -
the person whose hope rests on the Lord their God -
is truly happy!
God: the maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
God: who is faithful forever,
who gives justice to people who are oppressed,
who gives bread to people who are starving!
The Lord: who frees prisoners.
The Lord: who makes the blind see.
The Lord: who straightens up those who are bent low.
The Lord: who loves the righteous.
The Lord: who protects immigrants,
who helps orphans and widows,
but who makes the way of the wicked twist and turn!
The Lord will rule forever!
Zion, your God will rule from one generation to the next!
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
Let my whole being praise the Lord!
I will praise the Lord with all my life;
I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.
Don’t trust leaders;
don’t trust any human beings -
there’s no saving help with them!
Their breath leaves them,
then they go back to the ground.
On that very same day, their plans die too.
The person whose help is the God of Jacob -
the person whose hope rests on the Lord their God -
is truly happy!
God: the maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
God: who is faithful forever,
who gives justice to people who are oppressed,
who gives bread to people who are starving!
The Lord: who frees prisoners.
The Lord: who makes the blind see.
The Lord: who straightens up those who are bent low.
The Lord: who loves the righteous.
The Lord: who protects immigrants,
who helps orphans and widows,
but who makes the way of the wicked twist and turn!
The Lord will rule forever!
Zion, your God will rule from one generation to the next!
Praise the Lord!
Psalms is a collection of poems in the Old Testament that vary widely in tone and subject. Some offer praise, some express contrition, others teach, and others seem to be for special occasions like coronations or weddings. Divided into five books, Psalms was written by various authors between 600 and 150 BC.
Psalm 146 opens with a wholehearted invitation: “Let my whole being praise the Lord! I will praise the Lord with all my life.” The psalmist is clear that praise is not a fleeting song but a lifelong posture, a way of living attuned to the Source of all breath and being.
The psalm moves quickly to a sobering reminder: human leaders cannot be the foundation of our hope. Their plans are fragile, limited by mortality and circumstance. In a world where political power, economic influence, and public image so often promise stability, this psalm names what we know deep down - no human system or figure can sustain us forever.
What steadies us is the God who endures. This God, the maker of heaven and earth, is faithful forever. Divine presence is revealed through liberation and care - loosening chains, lifting the weary, restoring vision, feeding the hungry. God’s justice has a particular shape: it is bent toward those who live on the margins, the ones easily overlooked. The psalm’s list - prisoners, immigrants, orphans, widows - is not exhaustive but emblematic of God’s concern for all who are vulnerable.
This vision of God’s reign is deeply relational. The psalmist imagines a world where God’s faithfulness reshapes human community - where protection is given, dignity is restored, and love becomes the measure of righteousness. God’s rule does not expire with election cycles or political dynasties; it stretches across generations, anchoring us in a promise that outlasts every headline and every shifting season of history.
In this psalm, praise becomes more than words of devotion. It is a response to the Creator who binds heaven’s vastness to earth’s needs, who rules not with callous power but with attentive compassion. May our lives echo this praise, becoming living testimonies to the God who sets things right.
The psalm moves quickly to a sobering reminder: human leaders cannot be the foundation of our hope. Their plans are fragile, limited by mortality and circumstance. In a world where political power, economic influence, and public image so often promise stability, this psalm names what we know deep down - no human system or figure can sustain us forever.
What steadies us is the God who endures. This God, the maker of heaven and earth, is faithful forever. Divine presence is revealed through liberation and care - loosening chains, lifting the weary, restoring vision, feeding the hungry. God’s justice has a particular shape: it is bent toward those who live on the margins, the ones easily overlooked. The psalm’s list - prisoners, immigrants, orphans, widows - is not exhaustive but emblematic of God’s concern for all who are vulnerable.
This vision of God’s reign is deeply relational. The psalmist imagines a world where God’s faithfulness reshapes human community - where protection is given, dignity is restored, and love becomes the measure of righteousness. God’s rule does not expire with election cycles or political dynasties; it stretches across generations, anchoring us in a promise that outlasts every headline and every shifting season of history.
In this psalm, praise becomes more than words of devotion. It is a response to the Creator who binds heaven’s vastness to earth’s needs, who rules not with callous power but with attentive compassion. May our lives echo this praise, becoming living testimonies to the God who sets things right.
Posted in Psalms
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