Praise the LORD!
WEEK 8
PRAISING GOD ALONE
PSALM 146
Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Do not trust in princes, In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation. His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; In that very day his thoughts perish.
How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the LORD his God, Who made the heaven and earth, The sea and all that is in them; Who keeps faith forever; Who executes justice for the oppressed; Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free.
The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises up those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous; The LORD protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He thwarts the way of the wicked. The LORD will reign forever, Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!
ETERNAL GOD AND HEAVENLY FATHER,
we echo the psalmist: Praise the Lord! We have not put our trust in human leaders, in mortal beings;
in them there is no salvation. But we have put our trust in You, the Lord our God,
Creator of heaven and earth. You are forever faithful. One day You will bring perfect justice
throughout the earth.
In the meantime, You provide for all the needs of Your people. We thank You that You have filled the hungry, liberated captives,
given sight to the blind, raised up those who are bowed down, and comforted those who are oppressed. Indeed, how blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God! We thank You that You love perfectly and everlastingly
those who are covered with Your righteousness. We worship You, Lord, as the Maker and Sustainer of all things. We give thanks to You, O God; we glorify You for Your wondrous deeds!1
As blessed as we are to be under the cover of Your grace, however,
we must confess that we have sinned. We have broken Your law, which is written in our hearts as well as in the Scriptures. We have disregarded the voice of conscience and spurned
the clear direction of Your Spirit. Worse yet, we have at times refused the clear commands of Your holy Word.
Yet You daily show us grace and longsuffering,
and in Christ we are forgiven. Purge our lives of sin,
cleanse our souls from guilt, deliver us from earthly affections, guide our feet away from the path of evil, and make us walk in the way of righteousness,
for the sake of Your holy Name. May we pursue the beauty of Your holiness
and the security of the hope You have set before us. May we never lose our firm assurance in a salvation that is forever.
Thank You for equipping us with suitable spiritual armor to protect us
against the wiles of the evil one.2
Thank You for such a great High Priest,
who intercedes for us always.3
Thank You for Your Word,
which guides and teaches us. Graciously empower us to bind it upon our hearts,
and thus to set our minds on You. We long to understand Your truths and to observe how You operate
so we can see blessing in every trial and joy in every sorrow.
Fill our hearts with gratitude and praise,
and may we see Your design in everything! Cause us, Lord, to proclaim Your Gospel to all who will hear—
and may we gain a better hearing because both our doctrine and our practice manifest the glory of Christ in His saving work. In every condition of life,
whether we struggle or prosper, suffer or rejoice, may we know that in Your hands all these
things are being worked together for our good and Your eternal glory.4
We are privileged to be called Your children, and we pour out our hearts
in prayer to You, loving Father. In the name of Your Son we pray. Amen.
1. Psalm 75:1 2. Ephesians 6:10-20 3. Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25 4. Romans 8:28-30