Psalm 146.

1 

Praise the Lord.[a]

Praise the Lord, my soul.

2 

I will praise the Lord all my life;

    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

3 

Do not put your trust in princes,

    in human beings, who cannot save.

4 

When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;

    on that very day their plans come to nothing.

5 

Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,

    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

6 

He is the Maker of heaven and earth,

    the sea, and everything in them—

    he remains faithful forever.

7 

He upholds the cause of the oppressed

    and gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets prisoners free,

8 

    the Lord gives sight to the blind,

the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,

    the Lord loves the righteous.

9 

The Lord watches over the foreigner

    and sustains the fatherless and the widow,

    but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

10 

The Lord reigns forever,

    your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the Lord.

Reflect.

Identify the traits of God mentioned here that are also mentioned in Mary’s song in Luke 1.

Response

Which of God’s traits and actions move you to praise?

Response

Where do you see oppressed people in need of God’s help as Christmas approaches? What Will they need after Christmas?

Response

What Christmas carols remind you that Jesus’ coming is meant to change the world and the way we do things?

Rest.

Consider how God executes judgment, feeds the hungry, sets prisoners free, gives sight to the blind, and befriends the stranger and the fatherless today. Through whom does God do these things? Hold these people before God and ask that they are blessed and encouraged.

Pray a breath prayer.

For a breath prayer until your next time of reflection, consider praying, “God of freedom, I praise you.”

• Saved: Uncategorized