The Rev. Jennifer Haddox ’06, Associate Director, World Mission Initiative, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Scripture

Psalm 146

1 Praise the LORD!
 Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
 I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

3 Do not put your trust in princes,
 in mortals, in whom there is no help.
4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
 on that very day their plans perish.

5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
 whose hope is in the LORD their God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
 the sea, and all that is in them;
 who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed;
 who gives food to the hungry.

 The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
 The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
 the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the strangers;
 he upholds the orphan and the widow,
 but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10 The LORD will reign forever,
 your God, O Zion, for all generations.
 Praise the LORD!

Devotional

As our dear friend, Jannie Swart, was often heard saying, “God is up to something in the world!” He, along with this Psalmist, was confident to proclaim it. Read again the saving acts of the Lord proclaimed in this Psalm—he keeps faith, executes justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry, sets prisoners free, opens blind eyes, lifts up the lowly, loves the righteous, watches over strangers, and upholds orphans and widows. This is what God is up to!

As I worship with these words, I see these actions in the life of Jesus, who indeed set people free, fed the hungry, opened blind eyes, and lifted up the lowly. And I also see in these words a call to Christ’s body to live into these saving acts of our Lord.

If we want to draw near to the Lord, then we must come near to the oppressed, the hungry, the prisoner, the blind, the lowly, the stranger, the orphans and widows. In doing what can be seemingly risky things, like welcoming refugees, parenting foster children, or working on behalf of the homeless or those in prison, we declare our trust in a God who has faithfully acted in these ways for generations. In doing so, we proclaim, “The LORD will reign forever!”

Prayer

I praise you, O Lord, for your saving love at work in the world. Give me eyes to see what you are up to in the world around me, and a heart that is ready to trust you by coming alongside you in that work. Amen.

The Rev. Jennifer Haddox ’06, Associate Director, World Mission Initiative, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Scripture

Psalm 146

1 Praise the LORD!
 Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
 I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

3 Do not put your trust in princes,
 in mortals, in whom there is no help.
4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
 on that very day their plans perish.

5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
 whose hope is in the LORD their God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
 the sea, and all that is in them;
 who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed;
 who gives food to the hungry.

 The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
 The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
 the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the strangers;
 he upholds the orphan and the widow,
 but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10 The LORD will reign forever,
 your God, O Zion, for all generations.
 Praise the LORD!

Devotional

As our dear friend, Jannie Swart, was often heard saying, “God is up to something in the world!” He, along with this Psalmist, was confident to proclaim it. Read again the saving acts of the Lord proclaimed in this Psalm—he keeps faith, executes justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry, sets prisoners free, opens blind eyes, lifts up the lowly, loves the righteous, watches over strangers, and upholds orphans and widows. This is what God is up to!

As I worship with these words, I see these actions in the life of Jesus, who indeed set people free, fed the hungry, opened blind eyes, and lifted up the lowly. And I also see in these words a call to Christ’s body to live into these saving acts of our Lord.

If we want to draw near to the Lord, then we must come near to the oppressed, the hungry, the prisoner, the blind, the lowly, the stranger, the orphans and widows. In doing what can be seemingly risky things, like welcoming refugees, parenting foster children, or working on behalf of the homeless or those in prison, we declare our trust in a God who has faithfully acted in these ways for generations. In doing so, we proclaim, “The LORD will reign forever!”

Prayer

I praise you, O Lord, for your saving love at work in the world. Give me eyes to see what you are up to in the world around me, and a heart that is ready to trust you by coming alongside you in that work. Amen.