John 4:23–24
But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Jesus is the way, the truth and the only light of the world. In Him and through Him we are saved and brought into right standing with the Father. In Him and through Him we are given Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son and together is worshiped and glorified. There is power in the unity of our One God. God hears the cries of His people, those who place their trust in Him alone. Carla
Psalm 146:1-10
5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,
7 Who executes justice for the oppressed,
Who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.
8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord raises those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the strangers;
He relieves the fatherless and widow;
But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.
10 The Lord shall reign forever—
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
NKJV
The psalmist opens this praise psalm by exhorting his audience to praise Yahweh; he also describes his intention to praise Yahweh himself. He then exhorts his audience to place trust in Yahweh alone. The psalmist states that the blessed people in the world are those who hope in the God who created everything, helps the oppressed, feeds the hungry, heals the suffering, loves the righteous and protects the vulnerable. He also states that Yahweh opposes the wicked. He concludes by praising Yahweh, who will reign forever! Faithlife Study Bible
My soul is another way of speaking of one’s inner being and is often used as a substitute for the pronouns “I” or “me.” While I live: The poet makes a strong vow to praise the Lord for the rest of his life.
The point is that even the best of people are not adequate help in times of terrible stress. Even princes are mortal, and are not able even to help themselves (118:9). In contrast is the individual who finds ultimate help in God who lives forever.
Happy indicates a deep and abiding pleasure, a manifest joy. This is the proper description of one whose help and hope is in God.
Creation themes pervade the hymns of Israel (Psalm 104); here the point is that the Creator of the universe is the One who comes to the aid of the righteous.
In these two verses 8-9 there is a special focus on the gracious actions of God on behalf of the impaired, the helpless, the lonely, and the needy (38:6).
But the way of the wicked is the contrast in God’s treatment of the righteous and the wicked is as pronounced in this psalm as it is in other psalms (1:4, 6; 147:6).
The Lord shall reign forever. The Bible presents several dimensions of the rule of God: He is King as Creator (Psalm 93); He is King as Savior of His people (Psalm 99); and He is King as the coming One (Psalm 98). This verse speaks of God’s present and eternal reign rather than specifically of His coming rule at the end of time. The use of the Hebrew term hallelujah at the end of the psalm balances its use at the beginning. The NKJV Study Bible
Psalm 103:6
The LORD executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
Psalm 104:33
I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
Psalm 63:4
Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
Psalm 107:9–10
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons—
Psalm 147:6
The LORD lifts up the humble;
He casts the wicked down to the ground.
I resonated with this, from Maria Shriver, “I read an article about what kids need and how certain teachers are best able to help them when they're having a meltdown. The article said to ask a child, ‘Do you want to be helped, heard, or hugged?’ The writer then went on to say those are actually great questions to ask anybody at this time. I love that. As leaders—be it in our families, our workplaces, or our communities—we will never be able to totally have everyone's back all the time. That said, we can minister in the gap with our hearts and with compassion. We can minister by listening, by sharing practices, by showing tenderness, and by sharing our own experiences that helped us when we felt alone, afraid, and disconnected. We can minister by apologizing as well when it's needed. My friends, see yourself on this day and this week as a minister with a pulpit or platform, because you actually have one. Believe that you have a message worth sharing because you do. Believe that you have a presence that can make another person feel protected in this moment because you do.”
"They serve one another."
Which brings to mind Etty Hillesum’s empowering words, “Ultimately, we have just one moral duty. To reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it towards others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will also be in our troubled world.”
Thank you Etty. Your words bolster and sustain me.
And let us remember, Etty did not write that sentence from a dispassionate distance. Speaking of a world tilting, Etty was a young Jewish woman who lived in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation and who died in Auschwitz, one of the millions of victims of the Holocaust. We didn’t know about her meticulous diary until decades after her death. From the day when Dutch Jews were ordered to wear a yellow star, up to the day she boarded a cattle car bound for Poland, Etty consecrated herself to the wholehearted task of bearing witness to the inviolable power of love. To honor the sacred present with sensitivity to human suffering and gratitude for beauty in the everyday. Sabbath Moments
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