It seems like more bad news floods our phones and TVs daily. And often, peace feels so far away.

Lately, I’ve felt such deep sorrow for our world that I don’t know the right words to pray. My prayers are, “Oh, God, please hear the groanings of my heart because my mouth doesn’t know what to say.”

But in my Bible reading today, I came across Psalm 146. These words remind that no matter what terrible things happen around us, we can always praise God for the good He’s done on our behalf — even when we can’t articulate the piercing pain of our hearts. In praise, God reveals to us His hope, clarity, and nourishment for each day — and whatever lies within it.

So, friend, let the words of Psalm 146 flood your heart with peace. And as you read, don’t forget to praise God while asking for His protection over our world. 

“Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul.

I will praise the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Do not put your trust in princes,
    in human beings, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
    on that very day their plans come to nothing.
Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
    the sea, and everything in them—
    he remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
    and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
     the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
    the Lord loves the righteous.”

The Lord watches over the foreigner
    and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
    but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

The Lord reigns forever,
    your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the Lord.” Psalm 146