Online House of Prayer

Aneel Aranha is an author, preacher, and evangelist who has spoken to hundreds of thousands of people around the world. You can find a huge selection of his reflections, articles, sermons, songs and other resources on his website www.aneelaranha.com.

All Episodes

Online House of Prayer

Psalm 146 — Who Do You Trust?

October 30, 2023 • Aneel Aranha • Season 3 • Episode 146

0:00 | 4:05

Psalm 146 emphasizes God's eternal faithfulness over transient human leaders, echoing Jesus' mission and our ultimate trust's direction.

Praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD, my soul.
I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD their God.
He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets prisoners free,
the LORD gives sight to the blind,
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,
the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
The LORD reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the LORD.

Throughout history, societies have often placed undue trust in leaders, believing they hold the keys to salvation, whether economic prosperity, military victory, or societal reform. Yet, the psalmist reminds us of the transient nature of human life: "When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing."

In essence, the psalmist highlights the futility of placing total trust in human leaders, no matter how charismatic or promising they seem. Instead, he redirects our focus to the eternal God, who "remains faithful forever."

In the Book of Acts, Peter and the other apostles declared, "We must obey God rather than human beings!" (Acts 5:29). This was in direct response to the Sanhedrin's command to stop preaching about Jesus. The apostles, like the psalmist, recognized that their ultimate allegiance was to God, not to any earthly authority.

But what's truly beautiful about Psalm 146 is its description of what God does: he upholds the cause of the oppressed, feeds the hungry, sets prisoners free, gives sight to the blind, lifts up those who are bowed down, and watches over the foreigner. This is a God of action, compassion, and justice.

Does this sound familiar? It should. Jesus embodies all these actions of God. One day, he picked up the scroll of Isaiah in the synagogue and read: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:18-21).

So, Psalm 146 isn't just a call to shift our trust from mortal leaders to God; it's also a prophetic glimpse into the heart of God's mission, which Jesus would embody centuries later.

In our complex world, with thousands of leaders and "influencers," let us ask ourselves where our ultimate trust lies. In the transient and fallible, or the eternal and faithful?

God bless you.