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.

Observation: King David was often confronted with BIG problems – like invading armies, or insurrection, or famine. V.3 reminds us that, in matters large and small, turning to human help is often pointless if we do not first seek the Lord. It’s often a both/and kind of deal, but divine assistance is far more potent and effective. Secondly, v.4 reminds us why dependence on human intervention is often foolish. While there are certainly exceptions, our human plans tend to die quickly once we’re gone.

Application: It has been a crazy year in the political arena as a highly unlikely candidate was elected POTUS. Whether you’re pleased with this or not, it’s clear Donald Trump will put a very different stamp on our government than President Obama has done over the last eight years.

And as I reflect on this, I’m struck by two things. First, I’m struck by the incredible power of the office of POTUS to exact programs and policies that reflect a particular view of the world and how it should run. That’s an enormous amount of power in the hands of one person. Secondly, I’m struck by how quickly such power can potentially be reversed. Poof! Here today, gone tomorrow.

This morning I’m thinking about the things in which I’m investing my own life. I wonder how much of it will last?

Prayer:  People are finite Lord, we know that. We don’t live forever, nor do our ideas. Yet as your disciples you invite us to invest in your eternal purposes. Give us grace to devote ourselves to things that matter. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.