“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
Two verses, the shortest Psalm, yet the greatest message. A message for all mankind.
Great is his steadfast love towards us, and His faithfulness endures forever.
The Psalmist focuses on two powerfully comforting and encouraging and universal truths about our Lord: He loves us. He loves us with a patient, unending, constant love. A love that endured throughout Israel’s dark history, as we’ve explored, and continues to endure today, despite our failures. A love that isn’t even confined to one people, but to all. A love that resulted in God condescending to us, once literally, and an infinite amount of times figuratively, so that he could initiate our salvation and work in our lives when we fall short. His love is great.
And his faithfulness endures. God is trustworthy and loyal on top of his fervent love, and he has made great promises to those who trust in him. He promises to redeem and transform all who believe and are baptized, all who humble themselves before him. God promises to complete his work in us. God promises to make sense of the suffering in the end. God promises to comfort us, to give us peace, wisdom, love. He promises forgiveness, he promises an avenue of communication with him, he promises purpose and meaning. He promises his spirit. He promises to draw near to us as we draw near to him. He promises to execute justice. He promises an afterlife, a world, a body, without blemish, without pain, without sin and corruption and death. He promises us an inheritance.
And if contemplating the depth of his attributes and his promises causes you to say “Praise the Lord!” as well, don’t you think that you’re then holding the good news, the great news, that must be delivered to all people and all nations?
As Christians in America, we must consider often how we’re doing in the area of getting his message out, the greatest message. Maybe we aren’t in a position to leave the country. Maybe we can do more to reach out to our family, friends, and neighbors. Maybe we all can always do more.
But, maybe we are in a position to leave the country. Maybe we are and we don’t even realize it…because we haven’t considered it.
William Borden, as he reflected on the numbers of Christian workers in the U.S. as compared to those among unreached peoples in China once said:
“If ten men are carrying a log — nine of them on the little end and one at the heavy end — and you want to help, which end will you lift on?”
Nevertheless, regardless of who you are, where you are, where you’ve been, and where you’re going:
Praise the Lord!
Paul approached a people who embraced a plurality of ideas. They prized philosophies that were new and sensational. Their greatest rule: offend no one; accept all beliefs as equal.
Pursue Righteousness 