God’s Words, New Each Day

A Reflection for Saturday, December 13 by Ruth Zschoche 

Lectionary reading for 12/13/2025: Psalm 146:5-10; 1 Samuel 2:1-8; Luke 3:1-18;

Selected passage for reflection: Psalm 146:5-10 

Read

Psalm 146:5-10 New Living Translation

5 But joyful are those who have the God of Israel[a] as their helper,

    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

6 He made heaven and earth,

    the sea, and everything in them.

    He keeps every promise forever.

7 He gives justice to the oppressed

    and food to the hungry.

    The Lord frees the prisoners.

8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.

    The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.

    The Lord loves the godly.

9 The Lord protects the foreigners among us.

    He cares for the orphans and widows,

    but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.

10 The Lord will reign forever.

    He will be your God, O Jerusalem,[b] throughout the generations.

Praise the Lord

Reflect

A few years ago while studying the Psalms, I decided to write out each Psalm in a similar manner to how Eugene Peterson wrote The Message. Each day I wrote a different Psalm in my own words. My intention was to write out all 150 Psalms, but for some reason I stopped. I loved how doing this spoke to me in a new way every day. By studying each Psalm this way, the Psalms became new and fresh to me. 

As I began to read Psalm 146:5-10 and reflect on it in order to write this devotional, I was having difficulty writing. It seemed that nothing was coming to me until I decided to once again write the Psalm out in my own words, words that the Holy Spirit was speaking to me. The words in this Psalm began to come alive as I imagined each verse and what it was saying to me. 

I can find joy every day because the same God who helped Israel is MY helper, 

and I can put my hope in Him.

He made the amazing heavens and beautiful earth, the fish and unknown 

creatures in the oceans and stars in the skies. Every promise He makes to me, 

He keeps.

He gives justice to me through His mercy and grace, even if I don’t understand 

His ways. He fills my hunger physically and spiritually. I am freed of my prisons 

because of His great love for me.

He opens my eyes, which are often blind, to His wonders. When I am sad, 

disappointed, disillusioned and weighed down, He lifts me up. He loves me 

at all times even when I don’t love Him as I should.

I am a foreigner in this world, journeying to a new country, but I am protected 

by the Lord. He cares for me as one no longer with living parents and even 

if I am left without a husband, He is my parent and husband.

I will be with Him as He reigns forever. He will be my God and the God of the generations who follow me.

Praise the Lord!

Respond

As you read and reflect on this Psalm how might you be invited by the Spirit to write this Psalm in your own words? What would it look like to make a plan for the coming year to write out a different Psalm each day, or each week, until you have written your own Psalms?

Rest

“Hallelujah! O my soul, praise God! All my life long I’ll praise God, Singing songs to my God as long as I live.” (The Message, Psalm 146:1)

About the Author

Ruth loves her calling as a Spiritual Director. She delights in holding space and walking alongside those who are listening for God’s movement in their lives. She is mom to one son, a daughter-in-love and Omi to two beautiful granddaughters. She loves to travel with her husband who recently retired. She enjoys hiking, biking, swimming, reading, playing the piano and praising God in the beautiful Colorado mountains.