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
Observation: This, Psalm 117, is the shortest chapter in the Bible. It is 28 English words; 17 Hebrew words. However, in just that limited space, the truth and importance of what it says is immense. Here is what this smallest chapter actually declares.
First, we are instructed to praise Yahweh. And who is the 'we' instructed to praise him? Everyone, all nations, and all peoples.
Next, there is an instruction about that praise. How are we to praise him? Enthusiastically! While 'praise' (halleluiah) can be interpreted as just to sing, 'extol' is a verb that raises the energy, stating that such praise is to be energetic and obvious, loud and public.
Third, we are told that the reason we praise the Lord is because of his greatest quality. And what is that quality? It is his unwavering and personal love. This isn't about praising some god because we want a good harvest, or we wish our worldly ideals to become mainstream. And this is not about praising an all-powerful dictator-type entity who wields power or just declares what we must do. We praise the Lord because he loves us, and that love isn't just some general "yea, I love y'all so I won't hurt you" kind of passive love, it is a great and steadfast love, directed toward us individually. It is personal, mighty, ever-present, and binding.
Fourth, we are told how the Lord's love actually interacts within our lives. How do we perceive the Lord's love? His love manifests as faithfulness. The Lord has given us promises about how he will care for us, provide for us, and save us, and he is faithful to the point that those promises will never fail. And they are not one-time events, they are forever. Even beyond our lifetimes, the promises of the Lord hold fast for us.
Finally, and in conclusion, we are told one more time ... how do we respond to God's amazing, faithful, and unfailing love? We praise the Lord!
Application: If this were all we every did every day ... if all I did was praise the Lord as a response to his amazing love and resulting promises in my life ... my life would be immensely better. The world would be immensely better.
By structure alone, we can tell how important this idea is - worship the Lord in response to his love for you - because the Lord chose to include such a small instruction as a stand-alone element of the Bible. It stands out for its unique quality and positioning.
It's like ... when you want to be heard, you raise your voice, but when you want someone to REALLY listen ... you whisper. This chapter is the Lord, with his still, small voice, whispering one clear truth: I love you so much and have promised to do everything for you, and all I want in response is your heartfelt praise.
I have said over and over that I wish I heard the Lord's still, small voice more often. However, here I am, hearing his whisper, and I'm not listening to it. I'm not doing it. But I can. I can decide that I will praise the Lord enthusiastically every day, because by his love Jesus died on the cross for the eternal forgiveness of my sins, so I may receive the promise to be restored to the Lord and saved forever. Praise the Lord!!
Prayer: Lord, I will praise you all the more, every day. In the times when my mind wanders, may I have the discipline to turn it not back to the work of this world, but to praise of you. Amen.
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