August 23, 2023 — Psalm 117 

“Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!” 

This is the shortest of the Psalms. And, not surprising, it calls on the world to “Praise” the Lord. Here the nations and their peoples are called upon to “Praise” the Lord. They are not called upon to convert to a particular religion — they are not called upon to extol that praise in any particular way. They are simply invited. That says something fundamentally important about our praise “of” the Lord. It is not complete until the world joins in this praise with its inherent faith and joy. Until the praise of and for the Lord arises from every people, all of the people will continue to lack the relationship the Lord wants with each one of us. Moreover, the nations of the world will not have found the glue, the centering foundation that holds the focus of what should be shared values and life.  

Why should the nations praise the LORD? This psalm and the people who sing the praise of the Lord have a single focus for giving this praise — here the theological basis of the call is because of what the Lord has done for us. The steadfast love (hesed) and faithfulness of the LORD are the vocabulary with which the people of God speak as gratitude for the salvation the Lord offers for all people. 

Let us pray: 

Lord God, you have revealed your kindness to every people and nation. Gather the whole world to yourself, that in all the various languages of the earth one hymn of praise may rise to you; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. 

Amen. 

Pastor Dave