Read Psalm 146:1-10. 1Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! 2I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. 3Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. 4When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. 5Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, 6who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; 7who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; 8the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. 9The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. 10The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!
Just as each year concludes with a joyful season of celebration of the birth of our Savior, so too the psalter ends with five psalms of joyful praise. But the Psalmist is no prisoner to his own good mood. This is not praise in the moment. It is a reflection of his commitment to live a life of praise – I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
Praise God that he can be trusted above all mankind. Princes come and princes go. Often they are full of self-serving advice (Like Prince Herod and the Wise Men). God alone is our faithful creator. God alone executes perfect justice. God alone reigns forever.
With the birth of Jesus, the world will see the appearing of this praiseworthy God. A God that is truly worth all our trust and all our rejoicing. A God of justice. Jesus gave food to the hungry. Jesus set sin enslaved prisoners free. Jesus opened the eyes of the blind. Jesus lifted up the bowed down. Jesus watched over the sojourners, the foreigners, the misplaced. Jesus upheld the widow and fatherless. Jesus will bring to ruin the way of the wicked.
Jesus will reign forever.
To live is Christ is to live a life of praise to Jesus! He is worthy of all blessing and glory and might forever and ever. So praise Jesus, not just from a good mood, but from faith in his perfect justice and everlasting reign.
You: What praises does Christmas stir up in you?
You in Christ: How does Christ’s incarnation prove that we can trust him? How does our union with Christ prove that we can trust him?
Christ in you: Spend time today thanking and praising Jesus for all he has done.
Pray: Jesus, I want to praise you with my whole being. I know I won’t always do that, but even on my bad days let praise come out of my soul by your grace. Amen.
To Live is Christ 