Where Is Your Hope?
By Dean Collins
The last five psalms are called the Hallelujah Psalms. Each of these psalms opens and closes with praise to God. In Psalm 146, the psalmist cannot contain himself when it comes to praising God. He offers praise to God four times in the opening two verses.
“Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”
Once the psalmist has declared his praise to Almighty God, he quickly offers a caution concerning placing our trust in human leaders who have no capacity to save us. And yet, it seems that over time, we simply can’t help thinking that some celebrity, sports legend, wealthy person, or political leader might be able to bring us hope and guidance for our current moment and perhaps even for generations to come.
Maybe this isn’t the best example of how we look to individuals to turn things around and make things work in our favor, but consider the investment that Power 4 football teams make in their starting quarterbacks. If my research is correct, every quality QB in the Power 4 makes somewhere between one and six million dollars. I am not arguing whether NIL is good or bad for college sports. I am simply noting that coaches and fans invest millions in the hope that their offensive leader will bring success to their program for one season and, hopefully, for years to come.
We tend to put a lot of pressure on individuals to help us, lead us, bring us joy, and make our lives better. Perhaps the area where we most tend to think human leaders can help or save us is in government and politics. Billions and billions of dollars are spent each year to elect governors, senators, representatives, and presidents, all of whom promise that under their leadership, we will be much better off. Of course, some elected leaders seek wisdom from above. But our challenge and warning has to do with how much we place our hope in them instead of God. Psalm 146 speaks directly to this human tendency.
“Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.”
Time after time in Scripture, God’s beloved people placed their trust and hope in their kings. Yet the psalmist reminds us that, in the end, every one of them—and every one of us—dies, and our plans perish. But that is not the case when we place our hope in the Lord of heaven and earth. His plans are filled with righteousness and justice, and they last forever.
Consider what this psalm promises that our eternal King does, contrasted with what human leaders can do:
● He keeps faith forever.
● He executes justice for the oppressed.
● He gives food to the hungry.
● He sets prisoners free.
● He opens the eyes of the blind.
● He lifts up the humble.
● He loves the righteous.
● He watches over the sojourners.
When we look to the Gospels and read about the kingdom of God that Jesus taught about and initiated, we see Him doing all of these things. And when He ascended into the clouds after His resurrection, He commissioned us, as His followers, to follow these same ways of service and care for others. Unfortunately, we, as the body of Christ, often drift back, forgetting both our kingdom assignments and the ways in which we are called to serve, while thinking that government can do this work for us.
Father, as we begin this day, we begin by praising You with all our heart and soul. You, O Lord, reign forever! Forgive us for our misplaced trust in others to accomplish what only You can do and what we can do as we allow You to fully live and love through us.
You, Lord, reign today and will reign forever. We praise You and thank You for who You are! Use us to accomplish Your will on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Psalm 146 ESV
Photo by Lightstock
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