Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Empowering Fellowship
 Psalms 146
 Matthew George

 Carmel MTC, Boston, MA

V5. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God.
 

Christian fellowship is an important part of our faith. Coming together as a faith community allows us to support one another, gain strength and reflect upon God’s love for humankind. Being present in fellowship with other believers helps us to build strength in order to face adverse circumstances in life and also reinforces the fact that we are not alone in this world. More importantly, fellowship helps us to grow in our faith.

Psalm 146 states that praises are due to God for what He is and what He does. Both Jews and Christians revere this Psalm. In Judaism this Psalm in its entirety is recited daily during their celebration of ‘Pesukei Dezimra’. Also, during the middle ages, this Psalm was recited by Christians during the Vespers on Thursday, according to the rule of St. Benedict, fixed in 530 AD.

Psalm 146 urges the reader to continue praising the Lord. No one can tell how long one will live, but we do know we will not live in this world forever. For this reason alone the Psalmist encourages us to praise the Lord every hour. While we live, it is not only our responsibility to praise the Lord, but also we are responsible to love and bless others. It may be natural for a human being to put trust in Princes(v. 3) but Princes are only men, their ability to help us is humanly limited. Man who comes from the earth returns to the earth and his spirit then reaches God. All our ambitions, expectations, stewardships and achievements, all that we nurture in life, cease to exist when life ends. The God of Jacob is the God of the covenant, the God of wrestling prayer and the God of the true believer. If we put our trust in Him, we will never be ashamed. His mercies endure through all generations.(V5.) The Lord is the friend and benefactor of the downtrodden, the least and the lost. He avenges those who are persecuted and He preserves the helpless as well. We can rest assured that we can put our trust in Him. The  Psalmist assures that the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. He, who made the eye, can  open it as well and when He does so, it is for His glory. Jehovah consoles the bereaved, upholds the defeated and provides comfort to the despairing  and He loves the righteous. King Solomon said, the way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day (Prov. 4:18). Righteousness simply means being in right standing with the Lord. Being in right standing with God is about surrendering our life to Him. It is about obeying His commands and seeking His plan for our life on a daily basis. We should take heart that our God is a good God and that He is working behind the scenes on our behalf. If we keep our heart surrendered to Him, we will enjoy God’s favours as David acknowledged - I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your enduring faithfulness and abundant Grace and Mercy to us. We trust that You are working behind the scenes on our behalf – our  times are in Your hand. Help us to stay close to You at all time . Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
  “Honor and majesty are found in His presence, strength and joy are found in His sanctuary (1 Chronicle 16:27)

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