In Psalm 146, the psalmist strongly encourages readers to put their trust in God, not in people, because God is the Creator who cares for the needy and helpless. The psalmist calls on his entire being to praise the Lord – to celebrate and glorify Him, even in unhappy circumstances. The same applies for us today.

The psalmist was determined to praise the Lord and sing to God as long as he lived. Women who determine that they will actively recognize and make known the God who can be trusted completely will find in Him everything they need. To focus on the Lord requires you to disassociate yourself from dependence on human beings to meet your needs—no man can meet every need of a woman’s heart, but God can (Ps 146:3).

People in general will always disappoint you, but the Lord never fails. Even those you love and trust the most eventually die; in a moment, all your dreams for your relationship or for your children or the good plans someone has for you can vanish. The Lord, however, is eternal and will always be there—not only until the end of your life but also beyond your grave.

Though people can betray your trust, the Lord alone remains faithful forever (v. 6), and He is and always will be the true King. The righteous woman who entrusts her heart and life to this King can trust Him to execute justice when she has been wronged, to provide for her physical needs, to lead her out of bondage to sin, painful memories, addictions, or oppressive circumstances into the freedom of belonging exclusively to Him (vv. 7-9).

She can count on the Lord to love and protect and help her. In the process of finding the Lord faithful to be who He promises to be in Scripture, the woman in right relationship with Him will become a woman after His own heart, who extends to others the unconditional love and grace she has discovered in Him.

How are you being called to be a woman after God’s heart? What hard times or rough passages are you going through that are giving you the chance to call out and depend wholeheartedly on God? When you trust in Him completely, you give him the chance to meet your greatest needs, more so than you could have ever imagined. When you praise and glorify His name you understand that you’re loved and protected by your Father.