(REFLECTIONS ON Psalm 146:1-10)

2 I will praise the Lord while I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

I will praise the Lord while I live, reminds us that life is not forever. It reminds us of our humanity and mortality. It reminds us that no matter what we want, we can’t control what happens today or tomorrow. So, let us praise the Lord while we still have breath, or as the psalmist writes, “while I have my being.”

“While I have my being,” reminds us that whether it is because of old age, illness, or physical captivity, we must praise the Lord today because although we may have life tomorrow, we don’t know what type of life it will be.

Yes, our praises on earth are not only limited to the length of our lives, but sometimes we find that we are overwhelmed by the world, that we will find ourselves still alive, but no longer praising.

I will praise the Lord while I live, then is a statement of praising today, while we still have the breath to praise, but also to praise today, while we still have the physical and emotional capacity to praise.

I will praise the Lord while I live speaks of our limits as humans living in this world, and it is also a reminder that we should put our hope and faith in the Lord,

6 Who made heaven and earth,
The sea and all that is in them;
Who keeps faith forever;

The Lord keeps faith forever, and that is why the psalmist reminds us not to put our trust in princes or mortal men, in whom there is no salvation. To dust to dust, is a reminder that our lives in the flesh are not forever. As for me, I will praise that Lord while I live.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Psalm 146