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
-Psalm 146:5-10
Good morning. What is that binds your faith? What is that shackles your hope? Like you, I have moments when I feel unable to escape lingering doubt when God's will appears hidden. Other times I see no way out of loitering fear when God's presence seems elsewhere. In such difficult moments one must not lose sight of the hope conveyed in Psalm 146, which proclaims how the God of Jacob can liberate us from the bonds of doubt and fear.
Psalm 146 is quick to provide justification for putting its hope in the Lord. For not only did God create all things, all things created by God are good. Besides God's constant goodness, Psalm 146 shares its certainty in God's everlasting faithfulness. Incredibly, Psalm 146 does not succumb to naive daydreaming where God's goodness and faithfulness protects us from all danger. Psalm 146 readily accepts the possibility of suffering injustice and enduring famine, while at the same time clinging to the hope that God always helps to secure justice and provide our daily bread.
Psalm 146 also distinguishes God from the corrupt rulers of this world. While immoral tyrants continue their quest to put the weak and defenseless under their thumb, Psalm 146 serves a God committed to freeing us from being enslaved by anything or anyone. Though cruel despots make themselves blind with hate, Psalm 146 worships a God dedicated to clearing our vision of any spite or malice. Should one be knocked down by tyrants, Psalm 146 assures him or her that God will be there to pick them help. More than a desire for us to respond to despots in kind, Psalm 146 declares that God becomes most pleased when we choose to pursue righteousness instead.
Finally, Psalm 146 speaks of a God in firm control of benevolence and wickedness. According to Psalm 146, God cares for those who don't even know Him and provides for those left to fend for themselves. Though the wicked may succeed in their deceit and greed, Psalm 146 trusts that they will not prosper under God's rule.
Whether by death, revolution or election, all rulers inevitably lose power. Psalm 146, however, concludes by stressing the fact that God's eternal rule keeps itself impervious to blood lines, revolts, or term limits. If God's rule endures forever, then Psalm 146 suggests that our praise of God should also persist throughout all generations.
Now the question remains, what does one do once God liberates him or her from their doubt and fear? What can we add to what God has already done? Well I believe Psalm 146 calls us to rescue what is lost and provide what is needed. We should see to meeting the needs of orphans and widows, while ensuring that the successes of the wicked are short lived.
If we claim God to be A Wonderful Savior, then this week let us not allow hate-spouting leaders cage our love for all of God's children. If we believe God to be The Perfect Emancipator, then this week let us not permit violence-inciting rulers imprison our commitment to peace. And should our vows to love and pledges for peace ever land us in jail, then let us not stop praying for our release to come at the hands of The Great Liberator.
CJE