Single lesson
Psalm 146: Praise the LORD, O My Soul
Psalms 146:1–10
Psalm 146 teaches children to notice who is being praised, why people should trust God, and how the poem moves from a personal call to praise into a list of what Yahweh does.
Before you teach
This psalm begins with the speaker addressing his own soul and promising to praise Yahweh for life. It then warns against trusting human rulers and turns to a joyful description of Yahweh as Creator, helper, judge, provider and eternal King over all generations.
Students will identify the speaker, trace the poem’s movement, and name at least three reasons Psalm 146 gives for praising Yahweh.
Welcome: Hear the call to praise
5 minBegin by saying the title and reading Psalm 146:1-2 aloud twice. Ask the children to listen for who is speaking and what the speaker says he will do. Point out that the speaker talks to his own soul and chooses to praise Yahweh while he lives. Write the repeated word praise where everyone can see it.
Psalms 146:1, Psalms 146:2
Read and explain: Don’t trust princes
8 minRead Psalm 146:3-4, then Psalm 146:5-6. Explain that princes are rulers, and a son of man here means a human person. The poem says humans cannot finally save because they die. In contrast, the happy person hopes in Yahweh, the God of Jacob, who made heaven, earth and sea and keeps truth forever.
Psalms 146:3, Psalms 146:4, Psalms 146:5, Psalms 146:6
Discuss: What Yahweh does for people
6 minRead Psalm 146:7-9 slowly. Ask children to listen for action words. List them together: executes justice, gives food, frees prisoners, opens eyes, raises up, loves, preserves and upholds. Notice the kinds of people named in the poem: the oppressed, hungry, blind, bowed down, foreigners, fatherless and widows. The psalm presents Yahweh as active and caring.
Psalms 146:7, Psalms 146:8, Psalms 146:9
Make and respond: Illustrated praise card
7 minChildren make a simple card with two parts. On one side, write a line of praise from verses 1, 2 or 10. On the other side, draw one image from the psalm such as earth and sea, food for the hungry, or someone being lifted up. Invite each child to explain how their picture matches the words of the psalm.
Psalms 146:1, Psalms 146:2, Psalms 146:6, Psalms 146:7, Psalms 146:8, Psalms 146:10
Closing: The poem ends with God’s reign
4 minRead Psalm 146:10 together. Summarise the movement of the psalm: personal praise, warning about human trust, reasons to hope in Yahweh, and a final statement that Yahweh reigns forever. Finish by inviting the group to say, 'Praise Yah!' together as the psalm does.
Psalms 146:10, Psalms 146:1, Psalms 146:3, Psalms 146:5
Questions to explore
In verses 1-2, who is speaking and what does the speaker promise to do?
Look for the words 'my soul', 'I will praise', and 'I will sing praises' to identify both the speaker and the response.
Psalms 146:1, Psalms 146:2
Why does the psalm say not to put trust in princes or a human person?
Use verses 3-4 to notice that humans cannot provide lasting help because they die and their plans end.
Psalms 146:3, Psalms 146:4
Which people are especially named as receiving Yahweh’s care in verses 7-9?
Scan the verses for groups of people and the actions Yahweh takes for them.
Psalms 146:7, Psalms 146:8, Psalms 146:9
Make, think or respond
Illustrated Praise and Trust Card
What you’ll need
- paper or card
- pencils or crayons
- marker
- Bible
Try it together
- Fold a piece of paper in half.
- On the front, write one short line from Psalm 146 that praises Yahweh or expresses trust.
- Inside, draw one image from the psalm such as the sea, food for the hungry, or someone being raised up.
- Under the drawing, write the verse number that matches the picture.
- Invite children to show their card and explain how the image fits the psalm.
This activity helps children see how Psalm 146 uses both praise words and clear pictures of what Yahweh does.
Adapt for your group
- For younger children, offer three verse choices to copy and let them draw one matching picture rather than writing a full sentence.
- For older or stronger readers, ask them to divide the psalm into four parts and label each part: praise, warning, reasons, reign.
An optional closing prayer
'Yahweh, help us praise you, trust you, and remember the good things this psalm says you do. Teach us to hope in you. Amen.'
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Psalms 146
1 Praise Yah! Praise Yahweh, my soul.
2 While I live, I will praise Yahweh. I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist.
3 Don’t put your trust in princes, in a son of man in whom there is no help.
4 His spirit departs, and he returns to the earth. In that very day, his thoughts perish.
5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in Yahweh, his God,
6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps truth forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. Yahweh frees the prisoners.
8 Yahweh opens the eyes of the blind. Yahweh raises up those who are bowed down. Yahweh loves the righteous.
9 Yahweh preserves the foreigners. He upholds the fatherless and widow, but he turns the way of the wicked upside down.
10 Yahweh will reign forever; your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise Yah!
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.