By: Rebecca Feere
The book of Psalms, with its rich and relatable content, mirrors our human experiences. The Psalmists, in their raw and honest expressions, cover a wide spectrum of emotions that we all experience. Love, anger, frustration, delight, fear, doubt, despair, praise, and hope are just a few that find their voice in this book.
Recently, I read the last five chapters of Psalms. These Psalms have a recurring theme – Praise the Lord! These praise Psalms seem fitting when everything is going smoothly in our lives, but sometimes, this type of passage doesn’t align with how we feel. How do we praise the Lord in seasons of grief, uncertainty, and loss? This can seem a little phony. Is God telling us to paint on a plastic smile no matter what? Is this suggesting a “fake it ’till you make it” Christianity?
While it is true that you may not want to recite these chapters at a loved one’s funeral or send them in a text to someone who just lost their job, I noticed something (specifically in chapter 146) that made me think differently about this command to praise the Lord even if our circumstances are heavy.
Psalm 146:5 says, “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God.”
“Blessed” here means happy. Ooh, we all want to be happy. Sign me up!
Let’s remember that Biblical happiness is not dependent on circumstances (see Ps.16:8-9 and Eph. 3:14-21). Rather, it is an inner joy and strength that comes from knowing the heart and character of God.
Who is this happiness in Psalm 146:5 promised to? – the one who needs help (wading through heavy circumstances) and looks to the God of Jacob for help.
So, what’s the plan here? How does one get in on this happiness? When they intentionally choose to put their hope in the Lord their God. Interestingly, this verse is written to instruct those who know God as their Lord.
The Lord is their God, indicating a personal relationship.
But why should we put our hope in God? The longer we live, the more we have felt the brunt of disappointment when what we hoped for didn’t happen. This makes us want to flip back and read one of those Psalms of lament! However, hope in is different than hope for.
Often, as people with sinful natures (we are redeemed, but not yet wholly sanctified) living in our modern, secular, “you can have it all” culture, we hope for the glamourous and glitzy. We hope for success, fame, money, popularity, etc. The bottom line is we often are hoping for ideal circumstances for the entirety of our lives. But that is never promised to God’s children (see Jesus’ words in John 16:33).
Hope in holds a different meaning. Again, this can be misplaced. We can hope in our job as a means to stability. We can hope in our strengths, intellect and abilities to make it to the top and be noticed. Psalm 146:3 instructs us not to trust in or put our hope in princes or other humans. You may not be trusting in a prince, but perhaps you are trusting in a government program, or maybe the one you are trusting or hoping in is yourself. Deep down, we all desire to be our own god, call the shots, and be autonomous. Hope in another human always ends in disappointment. People let us down, programs devised by other humans let us down, and we let ourselves down. Humans are limited.
You may be wondering where the hope is here. This is getting pretty gloomy. We have hashed out how much we need help and identified false sources of hope. Let’s go back to verse five and remember God promises happiness to those who put their hope in the Lord their God. How can we know that putting our hope in the Lord will pan out for us? Are we at risk of being disappointed again?
The remainder of this Psalm gives us truths about God that assure us that He is the source of true hope. What do we learn about God? Why is the Psalmist so confident we should put our hope in Him?
Our God is:
1) The Creator (v. 6). He made heaven and earth and all that is in them!
2) The Faithful One (v. 6). The CSB reads, “He (God) remains faithful forever.” He always keeps His promises!
3) Just (v. 7). “He executes justice for the oppressed.”
4) The Provider (v. 7). “He gives food to the hungry.” God knows and provides for our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs.
5) The Deliverer (v. 7). Our God “sets prisoners free.” He releases us from physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bondage.
6) The Healer (v. 8). He opens the eyes of the blind.
7) The Sustainer (v. 9). He lifts us up when we lack strength.
8) The One Who Loves (v. 9). Our God “loves the righteous.” His love for His children is unconditional and unlimited!
9) Our Overseer (v. 10). God watches over us.
10) Our Helper (v. 10). He helps those who are in need.
11) The King Forever (v. 10). Our God will reign forever!
There truly is no one like our God (Ps. 89:8-13)!
We will walk through difficult times; perhaps that is where you find yourself today. God’s Word directs us to remember Who our God is and what He has done for us. Regardless of our circumstances, we, like Jeremiah, can say, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:21-23).
