SHORT PSALM, SHORT DEVOTIONAL
Psalm 117:1-2 NKJV
1 Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles!
Laud Him, all you peoples!
2 For His merciful kindness is great toward us,
And the truth of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!
I believe this is the shortest psalm in all the Book of Psalms. But never fear; the longest psalm is coming up, Psalm 119.
An interesting note to this psalm is that it mentions the Gentiles. The Gentiles are those outside of Jewish heritage. The Gentiles were almost always those who did not have a relationship with the Lord. Yet this psalm is encouraging the Gentiles and all the people of the earth to praise God. Most other translations substitute the word nations for the word Gentiles. The overall idea is that all the earth should praise God.
And all should praise Him because His merciful kindness is great toward us. God's merciful kindness can also mean mercy, loving kindness, goodness, acts of kindness, and love. Merciful kindness describes who God is. In Psalm 136, the word is used 26 times to remind Israel of God's dealings with them. Here in Psalm 117, God's merciful kindness, not His power, is the reason the nations are encouraged to exalt Him.
And the truth of God will endure forever. Anything lasting forever is difficult for our minds to grasp. But what a blessing to realize that God's truth will never change, fade out, or become obsolete. Ten thousand years from now, the truth of God and His word will still be in play. Twenty thousand years from now, nothing will be altered concerning God's truth. And in a world where things are constantly changing and evolving and not always for the better, God's truth is our solid foundation.
God's merciful kindness and His everlasting truth are two good reasons to praise the Lord!
APPLICATION
Taking the time to praise God is always a good thing. I believe that when we come face to face with His majesty and glory, we'll wonder why we did not praise Him more during our time on earth. But there's no need to wait. Wherever you fall in your level of offering praise to the Lord, you can level up. This will be a great goal for the rest of 2023. Praise the Lord!