Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!
Psalm 117 ESV
This is the shortest psalm with only two verses, and it is the shortest chapter of the entire Bible. There are 1189 chapters in the Bible, and being the 595th chapter of the Bible, that places Psalm 117 right at the center of the book. Sometimes we may think we only have very little to say when praising the Lord, but may this psalm be our inspiration. God treasures every prayer we have. Let it be long or short; big or small.
Psalm 116 was a personal psalm expressing one’s gratitude to the Lord, using the pronoun “I” throughout, and it was beautiful. As the Hallel Psalms continue on to Psalm 117, the pronoun has changed to “us,” as it was directed to “all nations” and “all people.” It became grand and powerful!
“Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples!”
Psalm 117:1
Our Lord is the creator of all things. He is a God of all nations and of all people. God cares for all, and His great and steadfast love is toward us all! The word “great” here does not only refer to size. It also implies power. God’s love is vast and powerful! And because of this enormous and powerful love, He’s able to embrace everyone, defeat Satan and death, and deliver everyone from sins. And this great love is always for us, as nothing can separate us from the love of Christ! Because of His faithfulness, He is truthful to the covenants He made with people. He keeps His promises even when men break theirs. His faithfulness endures forever! When everything fails, we can still trust His faithfulness that lasts forever. He never fails.
Such a short yet powerful psalm! It lays the anticipation in my heart — of that day when every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and proclaim all glory to God, the Father. May our heart and view also broaden and see that our Lord is a great God! He desires everyone to know Him, receive His grace, and praise Him! May we praise God for Who He is! May we embrace this vision in our heart so we won’t fall into the trap of self-centeredness by over-personalizing the Lord and with a heart too small to contain who God really is. His great steadfast love and faithfulness are for all, and it’s meant to be shared.
So let’s share it!
Dear Lord, praise you because you are God! Thank you for your great steadfast love and your faithfulness that endures forever! You are the one that I can always trust! Broaden my heart so it won’t be too small to contain Who you really are and inspire me to share your love with others. Amen!
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