“O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise Him, all ye people. 2.For His merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth forever.”
If you are ever required to memorize a psalm, this would be one, for it is the shortest of the Psalms. It is short in length, but it is not short in meaning. It contains three of the most important elements in the Bible: praising the Lord, God’s mercy and God’s truth. I want to share my reflections on this short, but meaningful psalm. Reflections on praise Psalm 117 begins and ends with a call to praise the Lord. We praise God because He is worthy of praise. We should praise Him daily in our private devotions and in public worship. If we really think about it, there is no inappropriate time to praise the Lord. This psalm tells everyone to praise the Lord. The Psalmist assured his readers that the Lord was not merely a local deity. He did not belong to Israel alone. God created the whole world and all of the people of the world. This spoke to me of missions. It is our responsibility to call the whole world to Jesus and to lead them to praise His holy name. He is worthy of praise. This psalm tells you to praise the Lord, for it addresses you when you read it. The Lord wants your praise, because He knows that praising Him is good for you. Reflections on mercy We should, indeed, praise the Lord for His mercy, for just think of living in a world where only the judgment of the Lord is known. It is the Lord’s mercy that allows us to be saved. God’s mercy sent His Son into the world. Without Jesus, we would know only judgment and wrath. I can think of no better reason to praise Him. Notice that the psalm tells us that the Lord’s “mercy is great toward us.” Our sins are great; therefore, His mercy is great. Without God’s mercy we would live and die in our sins. There would be no hope of the“abundant life” that Jesus promised to those who believe in Him, and there would be no hope of heaven when this life is over. God’s mercy is great toward us. Do you personally know His “merciful kindness”? It is available to you in Jesus Christ. When you know God’s “merciful kindness,” you will praise Him. Reflections on truth The psalmist wrote: “And the truth of the Lord endureth forever.” and Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14:6) We praise Him, not just because we know that everything that Jesus does and says is true, but because we can personally know God’s truth in Him. All of God’s truth dwells in Jesus Christ, and to know Jesus personally is to possess all of God’s truth. God’s truth is too great to grasp intellectually, but we can have it by faith in Jesus. In a world filled with Satan’s lies, we desperately need His truth. Notice, also, that the Lord’s truth “endures forever.” What was true of the Lord in biblical days is still true today. Time cannot erode the fact that Jesus is the truth, for His truth is timeless. If the Lord’s truth could be erased, the world would have done away with it a long time ago. Do you know the Lord’s enduring truth in Jesus? Psalm 117 ends with, “Praise ye the Lord.” Why should we praise Him? His merciful kindness and truth endures forever. Praise the Lord because we can know His mercy and truth in Jesus. Praise Him for the grace that enables us to know His mercy and truth. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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September 2021
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