Day 357: How to Live in Hope (Psalm 146:1–10, Revelation 14:14–15:8, Ezra 10:1–44)

Day 357: How to Live in Hope (Psalm 146:1–10, Revelation 14:14–15:8, Ezra 10:1–44): Psalm 146:1–10 Psalm 146   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. Psalm Commentary Put your hope in the right place Many today put their hope in the wrong places. They trust in wealth, a successful career, a long-term relationship, or in their image or status. 

Psalm 146:1–10

Psalm 146

  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.

Psalm Commentary

Put your hope in the right place

Many today put their hope in the wrong places. They trust in wealth, a successful career, a long-term relationship, or in their image or status. There is nothing necessarily wrong with any of these things – but none of them are a firm enough foundation upon which to build your life.

It really matters where you put your hope: ‘Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing’ (vv.3–4).

The psalmist proclaims the right place to put your hope: ‘Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God’ (v.5). If you put your hope in the Lord, this hope is ‘an anchor for the soul, firm and secure’ (Hebrews 6:19).

The psalmist has this firm hope in the Lord. He praises God continuously (Psalm 146:1–2). He recognises that he is ‘the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them’ and that he ‘remains faithful forever’ (v.6).

The God of hope gives new hope to those who seem to have little hope, and he calls you and me to do the same.

The psalmist lists some of those to whom God especially gives hope: the oppressed (v.7a), hungry (v.7b), prisoners (v.7c), blind (v.8a), marginalised (v.9a) and bereaved (v.9b).

Prayer

Lord, thank you that I can put my hope in you. Thank you that this is a sure and steadfast anchor for my soul. Help me to give hope to those who need it most.