Extend the Peace – Psalm 146

A text – 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!

A reflection:

It’s all about widows this week. Here they are once again in verse 9. The Lord has a special fondness for those who suffer. The Lord executes justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry, sets prisoners free, opens the eyes of the blind, lifts up the bowed down, loves the people who keep their relationship with God straight and true, watches over those who are strangers, and upholds the widows and orphans. This is the God who loves Israel and wants it to flourish. God has also said that the way of the wicked God will bring to ruin.

We must keep our eyes on the Lord. Let us remember Jesus, who came to earth to teach us, to point us toward the God who loves us and wants us to participate in God’s abundance and share it with everyone we know. When we are feeling depressed about the state of the world, we turn to God, receive God’s peace, and then find someone in our own town or place to share that peace with, to extend that peace to. The Lord is alive and showering us with goodness to share with others. Do not stop that action of being showered with God’s peace and sending it along to someone who needs it. Never stop. God is good. God is love. And we’ll find goodness in God whenever we look. That’s why the psalmist says “I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.” Love God and the neighbor in the places where you are today. It is always the right thing to do.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for your peace and abundance. Help us to experience that peace as we worship you today, and help us extend your peace to someone else we encounter, whom you place on our path. Amen.