Weekly Devotional 1st of August, 2025
by Bruce Billington
Weekly Devotional 1st of August, 2025
We will continue our series on hearing God through the Psalms by examining Psalm 146, the author is assumed to be David.
Psalm 146:5-8 – “How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the LORD his 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 raises up those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous;”
Anyone in a relationship with the God of Jacob finds true blessing or joy. God is the God of the covenant; of wrestling prayer, the God of the believer tested in the furnace. He is the only living and true God, and incredibly, He stoops down to us and calls us by name.
As a result, we can trust Him because we will never be ashamed. We can place all our hope in Him, both for the present and the future. Not only is He our present help, but also our eternal hope. There is no confidence, no freedom, and no true peace to be found anywhere except in Him. He comes to the aid of the poor and downcast, gives bread to the hungry, and leads us into the paths of righteousness.
V6 – He created heaven and earth not only for His own pleasure but also for ours. His creation testifies to His wisdom, power, and greatness. Storms may rage, the world may tremble and quake, but in all such events, we have the assurance that He rules above, keeping it all under His control, and establishes His truth forever. He will never permit His promises to fail and is always true to His own nature.
Having established these truths, we can be confident that His kingdom will endure forever, and the Lord Jesus Christ will reign eternally. He is seated at the right hand of God and ensures that His kingdom will continue in everlasting glory. It cannot be destroyed, defeated, or even threatened by anything seeking to disempower it.
V7 – He surpasses all earthly princes because he pays no deference to rank or wealth and is no respecter of persons. We can find comfort, regardless of the situation we face, by knowing that He who occupies the throne will carry out judgment on our behalf. He also reaches out to all who are challenged by mental, moral, and spiritual issues. Even if we become slaves to our own sin, shortcomings, or weaknesses, we can be confident that these will never separate us from Him, and when we petition Him, we have the confidence that it is He who sets the prisoners free. He strengthens us to face all temptations and urges us to wait for His deliverance.
Whenever we are confused and unsure what to do and feel as if the darkness of death has descended upon us, let us learn to embrace all that the Psalmist attributes to God, and thus replace our gloom with His comfort and care.
V8 – It is here that the beautiful comment is made that God loves the righteous – all those who are in Christ are dearly loved and cherished by Him.
Spurgeon says that,
Jehovah consoles the bereaved, cheers the defeated, solaces the despondent, comforts the despairing. The LORD loveth the righteous. He gives to them the love of complacency, communion, and reward. [He]makes the upright to be his favoured ones. This is greatly to his glory. Let those who enjoy the inestimable privilege of his love magnify his name with enthusiastic delight.
Too often, we trust our own wisdom and strength or other human resources instead of trusting the LORD. God alone is completely trustworthy. He can do what we and others cannot. We can rely on Him for every need.
God bless you.