Psalm 146:1 Halleluyah!
Praise Adonai, my soul!
2 I will praise Adonai as long as I live.
I will sing praise to my God all my life.
3 Don’t put your trust in princes
or in mortals, who cannot help.
4 When they breathe their last, they return to dust;
on that very day all their plans are gone.
5 Happy is he whose help is Ya‘akov’s God,
whose hope is in Adonai his God.
6 He made heaven and earth,
the sea and everything in them;
he keeps faith forever.
7 He secures justice for the oppressed,
he gives food to the hungry.
Adonai sets prisoners free,
8 Adonai opens the eyes of the blind,
Adonai lifts up those who are bent over.
Adonai loves the righteous.
9 Adonai watches over strangers,
he sustains the fatherless and widows;
but the way of the wicked he twists.
10 Adonai will reign forever,
your God, Tziyon, through all generations.
Halleluyah! (Complete Jewish Bible).
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Praise the Lord! Don't trust in mortals. How hard is that, though? I see the people who get the most attention and praise. I see those in power. I can taste the things money can buy, and I can really be excited by the future that people in power offer.
But God doesn't care about the newest fashion, the fastest car, the latest social media trend or what celebrity couple is together this week. God probably doesn't even care about powerful and influential people unless it concerns how they are treating others.
God cares about the unflashy--the poor, prisoners, the blind, strangers, orphans and widows--you know, those who won't really advance your popularity or status. But when our lives are finished on this earth, our money and fame and big houses won't matter. What matters is that the Lord is steadfast and true forever--and cares about how we treat others. Challenge yourself to care for others--and practice grace for yourself when you can't resist trusting mortals.
Lord of all creation, you've given us beauty in this world and life. Guide our hearts to care for others in need rather than to follow the passions of this world. Help us follow you and trust what is good and true. Amen.
Stefanie Fauth, '15
Associate Pastor of Faith Formation, Redeemer Lutheran Church, White Bear Lake, Minn.
Psalm 146:1 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.
4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.
5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God,
6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord! (New Revised Standard Version)
THE LUTHER SEMINARY ®
2481 Como Avenue
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55108, United States
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