.... whose hope is in the LORD his God (Psalm 146:5). There are two things in this single verse that stand out to me this morning. Firstly our God is not some distant deity who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmity. Rather, He is gracious, full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. Indeed He is a very present help in time of need (Hebrews 4:15; Psalm 145:8; 46:1). “Happy” does not quite cut it for me, the NIV has “blessed.” In Hebrew to “bless” meant to fill with benefits, with which He daily loads us down (Psalm 68:19). Furthermore, He will withhold no good thing from those who walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11). Verse 3 warns us not to put our trust .... in a son of man, in whom there is no help. Which one of us, has not been let down by “a son of man?” So happy, well yes, but so much more, blessed truly blessed. When we forget, perhaps we need “count your many blessings one by one!” It will change your perceptive for sure and we will feel blessed if not happy!
But the blessings don't stop there, and the second thing, is the blessing of Hope for the one who trusts in the Lord. For some reason I am remembering the Tienanmen massacre this morning. This followed student-led demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China during 1989. The protests started on April 15 and were forcibly suppressed on June 4, when the government sent in the military to occupy parts of central Beijing. Troops armed with assault rifles and accompanied by tanks fired at the demonstrators. Estimates of the death toll vary from several hundred to several thousand, with thousands more wounded. I remember this well, because I was actually there in the square during the early part of the demonstrations. I had a friend in China who came out because of these things and he told me “The Christians are the only ones with hope now in China. Blesses is he whose hope is in the Lord. In the Lord there is hope when there is no hope.
I don't think we study either the Works or the attributes enough, but perhaps I am simply making a confession. Verse 6 tells that the one who helps us, and gives us hope, is the very same One who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and who remains faithful forever (verse 6). I don't know if you like art, I am not that much into it myself, except that I have some paintings my mother painted of scenes in Australia. They are remarkable, and I admire this talent of hers. How much more should I admire the One who created the scenes she painted? What I am trying to say is that it is too easy to read that He is the creator, without it really touching us. But the point is, that this One who created everything, He is the One who invites us into relationship, who blesses us, helps us in times of need, gives us hope where there is no hope, and who remains faithful forever.
Father, we need to take lessons from the Psalmist who praised You, who instructed his soul to praise You, and determine to praise You no matter what, as long as he had breath. Truly You are worthy, and we worship You this morning in Jesus Name Amen
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