Gems from the Psalms (13)

From God With Love

Neville Turley

Praise the Lord, all your nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love towards us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.  Praise the Lord. Psalm 117:1-2 (NIV)

This gem is the shortest of all the Psalms and the shortest chapter in the Bible, but its’ appeal knows no boundaries.  It is a worldwide call to everyone in every nation to praise God.  It is a call to you and to me.

It was never God’s intention to limit his family to one nation.  God made that quite clear when he first called Abraham and promised him that “…all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:3

Paul who described himself as a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles quoted this very Psalm (Romans 15:11) when pleading with the Jewish believers in Rome to accept the Gentiles.  “Accept one another then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.  For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy.”  Romans 15:7-9

Many people today feel unloved and unwanted.  Many people are lonely.  Psalm 117 is a personal invitation from God to them, and to us all.  We are the children of God’s mercy, we are the children of God’s promise.

God’s love for us is so strong “…that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

God loves us.  God wants us.  He will never desert us, for his faithfulness is for all eternity.  Praise the Lord.

Prayer:  Almighty God, thank you for the assurance that whilst we may be alone in life, we will never be lonely.  Thank you for your great love for us. Amen