Rex H. Henderson

PSALM 146

Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever: Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners: The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous: The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down. The LORD shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD. Psalm 146, KJV)

Psalm 146

Praise the Lord, O My Soul

This is the first of five hallelujah
Poems as we close out the Palms.
In earlier psalms we’ve studied
The writer’s warts and all.

His griefs, shames, sins, doubts, and fears,
We have witnessed defeats and victories,
Ups and downs and struggling faith.
In these final psalms every word is praise.

Probably most languages understands
These three words, amen, hallelujah
And Coca Cola, all but Hallelujah.
It means to praise the Lord or Jehovah.

The Lord is our hope, he is faithful,
He sets prisoners free, gives sight to the blind,
He lifts up the fallen, loves the righteous,
And the Lord watches over them.

For his goodness he must be praised
From generation to generation. Each
Must worship and praise God.
Salvation comes from God. Why less?

God is the only being about whom we
Can honestly and truly say,

“Hallelujah”

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