“Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.” (Psalm 146:3–4 (ESV))

There seems to be no end of little saviors in the world today. There is great value in heeding the reminder of the psalmist in this passage that tells us that no matter the form of our little saviors—whether they are bankers, doctors, psychiatrists, teachers, bar tenders, best friends, politicians, children, spouses, or even pastors, they will all prove to be inferior saviors who cannot even save themselves from death.

Psalm 146:5 goes on to say, “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God…” Jacob, the father of the 12 tribes, is of course dead; so are his sons. But the God of Jacob is still offering aid.

The next verse describes the God of Jacob as he “who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;” This God who is our only hope for a Savior, is definitely powerful enough to save in our time of need. He made everything. What has your little savior ever made? Remember God made everything out of nothing. And the little phrase, “who keeps faith forever,” means that not only is he powerful enough to save his beloved, he is good and faithful to do so.

But will he even notice me?, you might ask. Yes, he does! In verses 7-9, the psalmist shares the heart of our mighty God and Savior. He writes, “who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.” The poor, oppressed, the hungry, blind, those bowed down with cares. The foreigner and the orphan, all of those who are so often forgotten by the world, are not forgotten by God. What about those little savior we hope in so much? Do they notice the weakest and the poorest of the world? Most only pay lip service, and the best of them are powerless to do anything about their plight. But our Savior does more.

Do you have any little saviors that you are trusting in? Be assured, they will fail you—even the best of them. But God the Father sent his Son Jesus to be the Savior of the world. What greater love is there than this? He is the Lamb who died as a substitute for sinners. What greater power is there than the power that conquered sin and death? He is the soon and coming King. What greater power is there than this? Place your trust in Christ. Not just to be the Savior from your sins, but place your full trust in him for everything. He is worthy.