Psalm 146

Psalm 146
"Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them-the Lord, who remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations."

Psalm 146 is a call to put our trust in God, and God alone. The author urges us in verses 3-6 not to put our trust in men for things that only God can do, while reminding us again to trust the faithful Creator of all. Then in verses 7-9 we get examples of God’s faithfulness to His people, specifically the oppressed, hungry, defenseless, needy, fatherless, and widow. And while anyone can bring food to a person in hunger or shelter for someone dealing with homelessness, I don’t think the text is referring only to a brief moment of relief. Our God, and only our God, brings redemption, or a permanent way out of our condition. Not man, not a political institution, not a set of policies can fix the underlying issue which is our world’s sin and each of our own need for a redeemer. Hebrews 9:11-12 says “When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once and for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.” Jesus was the perfect sacrifice having obtained “eternal redemption”. Only through Jesus' blood can we ever be made right with God. We didn’t do anything, God did everything.

Now this is not to be confused as an excuse to not help the needy or the marginalized because “only God can fix it”, but rather as an assurance that “God has already fixed it”. And if God was willing to sacrifice His son for us, for everyone, how much should we be willing to give up in order to help those in need around us? While we cannot redeem anybody as Christ can, we can provide opportunities for dignity, relief, and peace, even if it is temporary.