Psalm 146 - The LORD watches over

Read: Psalm 146 vs 1-10

Athletes talk about entering ‘the home straight’ after a long race and today we enter what is the home straight of the book of Psalms. Psalms 146-150 come as a collection of psalms at the end of the book. We don’t who wrote them but they all begin with the same words:

‘Praise the LORD.’ 

It is as if when all is said and done (and a lot has been said and done in the palms) the conclusion of the matter is that the life of faith is a life that decides at the end to praise the LORD. Like that athlete kicking for home there is a burst of energy about these final psalms as the finishing line comes into sight:

‘I will praise the LORD all my life;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.’ (vs 2)

There is need for focus here, ‘do not put your trust in princes’ (vs 3), but rather seek help from the One revealed as far back as the stories of Jacob (vs 5). A great roar comes from the crowd that the LORD is ‘the Maker of heaven and earth’ and ‘He remains faithful for ever’ (vs 6). This same LORD is there to uphold the oppressed, to give food to the hungry, to set prisoners free (vs 7). He gives sight to the blind and lifts up those who are bowed down (vs 8). In Him outsiders are welcomed in, the fatherless and widow are sustained and the wicked are frustrated (vs 9).

In Hebrews 1 vs we are told that in Jesus we see ‘the radiance of God’s glory’ and that He is ‘the exact representation of His being’. The things that God does and the person He is, as described in Psalm 146, point forward to the life, the priorities and the miracles of Jesus. Today as we keep running for home it is ultimately on Him that we fix our eyes (Hebrews 1:1-2) and as we do the finishing line comes closer with each passing day.

Prayer: Lord Jesus thank You that You have gone ahead of us in this race of faith. Keep us running until that day when we are home, and keep our eyes fixed on You. In Your Name we pray. Amen.