Praise the Lord!
by Pastor Glenn Crouch
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Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God (Psalm 146:5).
Wisdom is not just something we find in the Book of Proverbs because, as you can see, there is wisdom in today’s psalm. The Book of Psalms concludes with five psalms that are all about praising God, and this is the first of them. It’s well worth reading all five psalms (Psalm 146 through to Psalm 150) in one sitting – don’t worry, they are not long ones!
The psalmist warns us about putting our trust in our human leaders. Like ourselves, they are sinners. They can’t save themselves, let alone us. However, our Lord God is the Creator of the universe. He made everything we can see (and even the things we can’t see). Add to that our Lord God has a long reputation for saving and healing people, justice, and caring for the outcast. So, it makes sense to put our trust in God!
In whom, or in what, do I put my trust? This is a question we need to ask ourselves daily. We are good at saying we trust our Lord God, but do our actions match our words? When we rely on our own strength, we will keep creating new idols in which we put our faith. Let this psalm awaken in each of us the need to truly praise the Lord. As we sing our praise, then our hearts and minds will follow. As we praise God, the foolishness of whatever we have substituted for him will be revealed. Real blessings come from putting your hope in the Lord our God.
Holy God, show me what I am putting in your place. Grant me your strength to turn away from the things of this world and put my trust in you. Praise the Lord. Amen.
Glenn Crouch was born in Brisbane and was baptised in the Methodist Church. He married Karen in a Reformed Baptist Church, and they moved to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia 37 years ago, where Glenn worked as a lecturer in computing. After serving as a Baptist pastor, Glenn joined the Lutheran Church with Karen in 1995. Glenn served as a lay preacher, which led to him becoming a Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP), and he recently transitioned to General Ministry Pastor (GMP). Glenn still lives in Kalgoorlie-Boulder with Karen, where they have raised two boys.
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