A God of Action And Worthy of Praise – Psalm 146:9-10

This is our final discussion in Psalm 146. We will be looking at verses 9 & 10.

God is worthy of praise. He is our help and our hope. And, He is A God of action.

Psalm 146:9

The Lord protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow; but He thwarts the way of the wicked.

The Lord keeps the strangers; another word describes them as sojourners—those who are in a foreign place – away from home.

God protects us as we sojourn here, far from our heavenly home.

He supports or relieves the fatherless and the widow—those who are without father and husband. This refers to those who are left vulnerable by loss of their protection and source of provision. We serve a God who is involved in our lives and He is a God of action.

There are many like this in the world – orphans, widows, those left destitute. This verse assures us of God’s protection and support. As the body of Christ we are charged to care for them. This is the way the Lord’s hands and feet are multiplied.

The Lord puts His army in place to share the load and relieve the need. Our God of action is engaged in the daily battle of meeting the needs of His children. But He also thwarts or makes crooked the way of the wicked. He puts barriers to create a stumbling path for them to walk. Nothing is smooth or easy about their wicked journey.

Here is what other places tell us about loving the stranger, orphan and widow:

Exodus 22:21: …shall not wrong a stranger

Leviticus 19:34:  love the stranger

Deuteronomy 10:18: …executes justice for the orphan and widow

Psalm 68:5: …father for the fatherless

Luke 18:5:  Judge for the widow

The Lord supports the afflicted and brings down the wicked. When we read Verse 7 a couple of posts ago, I mentioned we may not see the wicked fall fast enough for our liking. But God sees everything. He may be giving them an opportunity to turn back on their own—or maybe see how far they are willing to let their wickedness go. In either scenario He is not blind to their actions.

As I read this I wondered,

… how I can help orphans and widows?  [Tweet This]

Some ideas:

Provide meals or groceries

fix-it-work around the house or on their car

Provide clothing

Stack fire wood

Drive them to appointments

Check in with them, especially during storms

Give them a good price on things they need rather than asking top dollar

A widow will have a smaller income once her spouse dies. She may need help doing things she has never done before. I believe the Lord will show how we can meet a need when it arises.

Following the Example of our God of Action

James 1:27 tells us to be a doer of the word…We can ask the Lord to show us how to put this into practice with those in our sphere of influence.

This brings us to the last verse of Psalm 146…

Psalm 146:10

The Lord will reign forever, thy God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!

Throughout history rulers rise, fall and after a time they fade from view. But the Lord will reign forever. Every generation will know God’s rule. His sovereign rule and care are worthy of praise.

Psalm 146 tells us –

His reign will show Him faithful.

He will keep faith forever.

He will execute justice, give food to the hungry, set prisoners free, and open blind eyes.

His reign will love, protect, and support his people while thwarting the way of the wicked.

Because it’s His way. Our response will be one of praise to our God who knows us by name.

Hallelujah Yah!

Jeanne

Did you enjoy looking at this Psalm verse by verse? I would love to hear your feedback. Is it something you would like to do with other portions of scripture? Leave a comment and join the discussion.

You can access the whole series in Psalm 146 in our archives.

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