Psalm 145:14 NKJV
The Lord upholds all who fall,
And raises up all who are bowed down.
Finding Strength in Weakness
MY NOTES
“The Lord upholds all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down.” Psalm 145:14 (NKJV)
If you read this verse immediately after the one before it, the contrast is absolutely breathtaking. In verse 13, David is staring at a King who reigns in magnificent, terrifying, eternal majesty—a throne that outlasts centuries and spans across all worlds. Yet, in the very next breath, our Majestic Lord God is described as bending down to the dirt to catch people who are stumbling.
The God who commands the galaxies is the exact same God who catches you when you trip.
In the original Hebrew, the verbs for “upholds” and “raises up” are written as active, continuous actions. It means this isn’t just something God did once upon a time; it is His permanent character trait. He is actively, constantly acting as a Sustainer of the weak and the Lifter of His people.
Look closely at the subjects of His rescue: the falling and the bowed down.
The Fallen and the Pushed
In our world, mortal rulers behave very differently. An earthly king raises up the powerful and depresses the weak; he supports the influential and lets the ordinary man fall. When a human being falls into disgrace or failure, society tends to push them down even further. The proud and domineering love to make victims of the timid.
But God is drawn to our weakness. The word “upholds” means to sustain or support those who have no power to stand on their own. Notice it says He upholds those who fall. He doesn’t wait for you to get your act together, climb out of the mud, and present yourself perfectly. He meets you right in the middle of your mess.
If you belong to Him, you might stumble, you might suffer, and you might make mistakes—but you will never fall totally and finally, because His righteous hand is holding you fast.
The Heavy Loads We Carry
David then points to “all those that be bowed down.”
- Some of us are bowed down emotionally—we are despondent, unable to lift our heads in courage or our hearts with comfort.
- Some of us are bowed down physically and mentally—bent low under the crushing, daily load of duties, grief, or chronic exhaustion.
- Some of us are bowed down spiritually—groaning under a heavy burden of sin, regret, or intense spiritual temptation.
Think of the beautiful picture in the Gospels where Jesus met a daughter of Abraham who had been physically bent double by an infirmity for eighteen years, completely unable to straighten herself. What did the King of Kings do? He touched her, loosed her from her bondage, and stood her upright. In doing so, He proved Himself to be the ultimate fulfiller of this Psalm.
Notice the word “all” repeated twice in this verse. God has a tender, affectionate heart toward the whole company of the afflicted. He does not evaluate your worth based on how strong you are. Our God is a specialist in lifting heavy burdens. There is a famous historical story about King Alphonsus of Arragon, who was celebrated because he climbed down from his horse to physically pull one of his poor subjects out of a muddy ditch with his own hands.
Our King did something infinitely greater. Jesus Christ left the perfect glory of heaven, took on our heavy human burdens, and died on a cross to lift us up. He does not bruise the broken reed or blow out the flickering candle. When you are too tired to stand, He invites you to lean entirely on Him.
“Think of the Infinite bowing to lift up the bowed, and stooping to be leaned upon by those who are ready to fall.” — Charles Spurgeon
When your knees start to buckle, your King is already there to catch you.
Prayer
Abba Father, I am in complete awe of Your character today. You are the King of all eternities, yet You care intimately about the moments when my knees feel weak, and my heart feels heavy. Forgive me for trying to carry the massive burdens of life on my own strength, and forgive me for the shame that makes me want to hide when I stumble. Thank You for being my Sustainer. When I am slipping into worry, fear, or temptation, stretch out Your righteous hand and uphold me. To the areas of my heart that are currently bowed down by exhaustion, grief, or stress, I ask for Your gentle touch to lift my head. Thank You that I can lean the full weight of my life on You today. I pray for this in the tender and powerful name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Cross References (NKJV)
Psalm 37:24
“Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the Lord upholds him with His hand.”
Psalm 146:8
“The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord raises those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous.”
Luke 13:11–13
“And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, ‘Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.’ And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.”
Matthew 11:28
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Key Takeaways
| The Action of God | Who It Comforts | What It Means For You |
| The Lord Upholds | The Falling and Stumbling | When you are slipping into despair, temptation, or weakness, God’s right hand prevents you from falling totally and finally. |
| The Lord Raises Up | The Heavy-Laden and Bowed Down | Whether you are bent low by the anxieties of life, grief, or the weight of sin, Christ strengthens you so you aren’t crushed. |
| A Constant Work | The Overwhelmed Believer | God is actively in a state of sustaining and lifting His people. It is a present-tense reality every single day. |
| A Great Reversal | The Lowly and Forgotten | Earthly systems push the weak down, but God’s kingdom specializes in exalting the humble and protecting the vulnerable. |
Things to Think About
- God’s majesty does not distance Him—He draws near to the weak and fallen.
- He continually upholds those who fall; His sustaining grace is constant.
- He raises up those bowed down by burdens, grief, shame, or fear.
- No fall is too deep and no burden too heavy for His compassion.
- The King who reigns forever is also the God who stoops to lift His children.
- You can rest today knowing His hands are already beneath you.
Proverb for Today
In the fear of Adonai is powerful security; for his children there will be a place of refuge. The fear of Adonai is a fountain of life enabling one to avoid deadly traps. Proverbs 14:26-27 CJB
Daily Scripture
You who live in the shelter of ‘Elyon, who spend your nights in the shadow of Shaddai, who say to Adonai, “My refuge! My fortress! My God, in whom I trust!” — he will rescue you from the trap of the hunter and from the plague of calamities; he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his truth is a shield and protection. Psalm 91:1-4 Complete Jewish Bible
Closing
“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV
Grace be with you. Amen.
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Summary of Commentaries:
These commentaries highlight the beautiful contrast of a majestic, universal King who uses His supreme power not to crush, but to serve as a constant, active sustainer. Unlike earthly rulers, Jehovah welcomes and protects those sliding into sin, affliction, or despair. Repeatedly emphasizing “all,” the texts show that God actively prevents fatal falls, shoulders our heavy daily burdens, and tenderly raises up every weary, bowed-down soul who leans on His strength.
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“The LORD upholdeth all that fall.” Read this verse in connection with the preceding, and admire the unexpected contrast: he who reigns in glorious majesty, yet condescends to lift up and hold up those who are apt to fall. The form of the verb shows that he is always doing this; he is Jehovah’s upholding. His choice of the fallen, and the falling, as the subjects of his gracious help is specially to be noted. The fallen of our race, especially fallen women, are shunned by us, and it is a peculiar tenderness on the Lord’s part that such he looks upon, even those who are at once the chief of sinners and the least regarded of mankind. The falling ones among us are too apt to be pushed down by the strong: their timidity and dependence make them the victims of the proud and domineering. To them also, the Lord gives his upholding help. The Lord loves to reverse things—he puts down the lofty and lifts up the lowly.
“And raiseth up all those that be bowed down.” Another deed of condescension. Many are despondent, and cannot lift up their heads in courage, or their hearts with comfort; but these he cheers. Some are bent with their daily lead, and these he strengthens. Jesus loosed a daughter of Abraham whom Satan had so bound that she was bowed down, and could by no means lift up herself. In this, he proved himself to be the true Son of the Highest. Think of the Infinite bowing to lift up the bowed, and stooping to be leaned upon by those who are ready to fall. The two “alls” should not be overlooked: the Lord has a kindly heart towards the whole company of the afflicted.
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Enduring Word
The LORD upholds all who fall: God’s compassion is especially evident toward those who fall and fail. He does not despise or reject them; there is a sense in which He specially draws near them to hold them up. If they allow their fall to rightly humble them, God will draw near and uphold them. (Guzik)
The LORD upholds all who fall: “The phrase, all who are falling, is unusually expressive; and this timely help at an early stage is coupled with God’s power to revive lost hope and failed abilities: cf. New English Bible, ‘and straightens backs which are bent’.” (Kidner)
i. “Many are despondent, and cannot lift up their heads in courage, or their hearts with comfort; but these he cheers. Some are bent with their daily load, and these he strengthens.” (Spurgeon)
ii. “The last portion of the psalm is marked by a frequent repetition of ‘all,’ which occurs eleven times in these verses. The singer seems to delight in the very sound of the word, which suggests to him boundless visions of the wide sweep of God’s universal mercy, and of the numberless crowd of dependents who wait on and are satisfied by Him.” (Maclaren)
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Albert Barnes
The Lord upholdeth all that fall – The word used here is a participle, literally, “The Lord sustaining;” that is, the Lord is a Sustainer or Upholder of all that fall. The allusion is to those who have no power to go of themselves, who would sink under the burdens of life if they were not supported. The idea is, that it is a characteristic of the Lord that he does sustain such; that all such may confidently look to him to uphold them.
And raiseth up all those that be bowed down – The word here also is a participle: “he is lifting up;” that is, he is a lifter up. The reference is to those who are bent and bowed under the duties, the cares, the trials of life; who go bowed down under those burdens. God is able to strengthen them so that they can bear those burdens without being crushed under them.
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John Gill
The Lord upholdeth all that fall,…. Not all that fell in Adam, as all mankind did; nor all that fall into sin, as every man does; and therefore not those that fall into hell: but this is to be understood of the subjects of Christ’s kingdom, of which the psalmist is speaking; who does that which no mortal king can do, as Aben Ezra observes: another king raises up one, and depresses another; supports one, and lets another fall: but the Lord upholds all his people and subjects with the right hand of his righteousness; though they are liable to fall into sin, and in many instances do fall, and into various temptations and afflictions; yet he sustains and upholds them, that they shall not fall finally and totally by sin, nor be overwhelmed and crushed by their heavy afflictions. Or, “all that are falling”; he either upholds and keeps them that they shall not fall, at least so as to perish; or he holds them by his right hand when they are fallen, and raises them up again; and bears them up under all their exercises, so that they are not utterly cast down and destroyed, Psalm 37:24.
and raiseth up all [those that be] bowed down: with a body of sin, under which they groan, being burdened, and which presses them sore; with Satan’s temptations, like the woman in the Gospel, bound together by him; and with various troubles and afflictions; but the Lord raises and bears them up under all, and comforts and refreshes them.
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Matthew Henry
He supports those that are sinking, and it is his honor to help the weak, v. 14. He upholds all that fall, in that, though they fall, they are not utterly cast down. Many of the children of men are brought very low by sickness and other distresses and seem ready to drop into the grave, and yet Providence wonderfully upholds them, raises them up, and says, Return, Ps. 110:3. If all had died who once seemed dying, the world would have been very thin. Many of the children of God, who have been ready to fall into sin, to fall into despair, have experienced his goodness in preventing their falls, or recovering them speedily by his graces and comforts, so that, though they fell, they were not utterly cast down, Ps. 37:24. If those who were bowed down by oppression and affliction are raised up, it was God that raised them. And, with respect to all those that are heavy-laden under the burden of sin, if they come to Christ by faith, he will ease them, he will raise them.
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Miscellaneous Comments
“The LORD upholdeth all that fall,” etc. It is noteworthy how the Psalmist proceeds to exhibit the mightiness of God’s kingdom, not by its power “to break in pieces and bruise,” like the iron legs of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s vision (Dan 2:40), but by the King’s readiness to aid the weak. Even a heathen could see that this was the noblest use of power.
Regia (crede mihi) res est succurrere lapsis.
Ovid., Ep. de Panto, ii. 9, II.
It is a kingly thing to help the fallen.
—Neale and Littledale.
“The LORD upholdeth all that fall,” etc. נּפְלִים nophelim the falling, or those who are not able to keep their feet; the weak. He shores them up; he is their prop. No man falls through his own weakness merely; if he rely on God, the strongest foe cannot shake him.
—Adam Clarke.
“And raiseth up all those that be bowed down.” Alphonsus, King of Arragon, is famous for helping with his own hand one of his subjects out of a ditch. Of Queen Elizabeth, it is recorded, to her eternal praise, that she hated (no less than did Mithridates) such as sought to crush virtue forsaken of fortune. Christ bruises not the broken reed, but upholdeth it, he quenches not the smoking wick, but cherisheth it.
—John Trapp.
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