The shortest chapter in the Psalms and the Bible is Psalm 117. It is also the middle chapter in the Bible with exactly 594 chapters before it and after it. Don’t go overboard with that observation. There is nothing inspired about the chapters of the Bible. But this is interesting–It is a Psalm centered in recognizing that God is to be praised among ALL the peoples of the earth.
1 Praise the LORD, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
2 For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD!
Three commands in two verses:
–Praise the LORD (all nations).
–Extol Him, all peoples.
–Praise The LORD.
Two reasons:
–His steadfast love (toward us).
–His faithfulness endures forever.
Thought:
Spend a day meditating on the reasons given for the appropriateness of the three commands. Memorize the two verses. Pray them back to God. Pray something new, with this psalm as the scaffold for your prayers, three times in a 24 hour period. More if you can.
Ex. “Lord, help me to understand this tiny postcard. Teach me what it means to be a person that tells the nation to praise You. Help me to fully embrace that You are not just the God of believers but of all the NATIONS. Help me to live in such a way that all the peoples I come in contact with learn to extol You. And help me to live every moment on the basis of Your steadfast love and faithfulness, because both endure forever. Amen.”
Keep asking God, for new ways to apply Psalm 117 to your life.
Update: Preliminary offering for the Poetry Project
We Owe You Praise
You want us to know that praise is what the nations owe
and there are no peoples without debt to You.
So the psalmist became Your instrument
to remind us of paths to travel
that would open our hearts and mouths
to exalt Your holy name.
….
For Your lovingkindnesses never end,
and are always aimed at our good.
Because Your faithfulness is our enduring hope,
so our praise will magnify Your greatness to the nations.Go to Psalm 118
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