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Illustration for Psalm 146: Praise God Who Helps the Needy

Psalm 146

Praise God Who Helps the Needy

Praise

Don't put your trust in princes or powerful people — they die and their plans come to nothing! But God is different: He made heaven and earth, and He stays faithful forever. He feeds the hungry, sets prisoners free, opens blind eyes, and lifts up those who are bowed down. Praise God!

  1. 1Hallelujah! Praise the LORD, O my soul.
  2. 2I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
  3. 3Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.
  4. 4When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans perish.
  5. 5Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
  6. 6the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them—the LORD, who remains faithful forever.
  7. 7He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free.
  8. 8The LORD gives sight to the blind; the LORD raises up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
  9. 9The LORD watches over the foreigner; He sustains the fatherless and widow, but He thwarts the way of the wicked.
  10. 10The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Hallelujah!

What it means

Even the most powerful people can't always help, and they don't last forever. So we put our hope in God — the one who lifts up those who are bowed down and cares for the lonely and the hungry.

A little prayer

Lord, I'll praise You as long as I live! I won't put my whole trust in people — my hope is in You, who helps the hungry, the lonely, and the hurting. Amen.

Memory verse

“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God.”

Psalm 146:5 (BSB)

It names exactly who God is for, in a list too specific to be sentimental.

Talk about it

Questions with no single right answer — for a family table or a Sunday-school circle.

  1. The psalm says do not trust in powerful people because their plans end when they do. Is that cynical or realistic?
  2. It lists who God looks after: the hungry, prisoners, the blind, foreigners, orphans, widows. What do they have in common?
  3. It says God reigns for ever. What difference does 'for ever' make?
  4. Which of the people on that list is nearest to you?

Try this

The list

Write out the psalm's list of people God watches over. Beside each, write the name of a real person or place near you that fits. Pray through your version.

You will need: Paper and a pen.

Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB)