Morning 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!

This hymn, originally by Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley, is based on Psalm 146. Can you hear the similarities between this version and the text version of the Psalm shared above? Do the words of the song highlight anything new? If you were to set this psalm to music, how might you express the feelings and faith of Psalm 146?

Additional Daily Readings:

• Morning Psalms 54; 146
• First Reading Isaiah 48:12-21 (22)
• Second Reading Galatians 1:18-2:10
• Gospel Reading Mark 6:1-13
• Evening Psalms 28; 99