Faith Daily Lectio Tuesday, October 20, 2026 Morning Psalm
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 · Tuesday in the week of the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24)
Morning Psalm
Oratio (prayer)
Lord God of Jacob, You made heaven and earth and keep truth for ever. Send Your Holy Spirit as I pray Psalm 146, that I may praise You while I live and put my hope in You through Jesus Christ. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Meditatio (meditation)
Psalm 146
1Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
2While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
3Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
4His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
5Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:
6Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:
7Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:
8The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:
9The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
10The LORD shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD.
Consider even rereading in another translation.
You could also consider listening to this chapter, narrated:
KJV (Max McLean) · ESV (Max McLean) · NIV (dramatized)
You might read the whole reading slowly, aloud, more than once.
Consider this verse, for example:
“Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God” (Psalm 146:5)
What other lines speak to you?
The Law "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help" (v. 3). We do it anyway. We look for rescue to leaders, to money, to our own plans, and forget the Psalm's sober word about every mortal: "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth" (v. 4). Every human help fails in the end, including our own strength.
The Gospel "Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help" (v. 5). This God "keepeth truth for ever" (v. 6). "The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down" (v. 8). Jesus did exactly these things, and He does them for you. He sets you free from sin and death, feeds you with His own body and blood, and lifts you up.
Prayer Lord, I confess that I have trusted princes and my own strength more than You. Forgive me for Jesus' sake. Thank You for being my help and my hope, and for raising me when I am bowed down. While I live, let me praise You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Tentatio (trial)
When the people we counted on let us down, or our own plans perish, it can feel as if the ground has shifted. The Psalm expects that. It sets us instead on the One who "shall reign for ever" (v. 10). Under trial it may help to pray verse 5 slowly and to rest your hope on Christ, whose reign does not end.
Prayer Faithful Lord, when human help fails me, be my help. Open my eyes, lift me up, and keep my hope in You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.
My church home: Peace Lutheran Church, McMurray, PA. Looking for a church? See About Daily Lectio.
