By Rev. J. Loren Russell, BA, MDiv.
Psalms 117:1-2 ESV
“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!”
Have you ever read an entire chapter in the Bible? For some, as much as they would like to, that seems like a daunting task. I’ve heard people say, “A chapter is too much to read,” and “I don’t understand the Bible.” But, did you know that Psalm 117 consists of only twenty-eight words that make up the entire chapter? In those twenty-eight words it gives everyone an opportunity to read an entire chapter and makes it emphatically clear why everybody should be doing it.
David, who is the author of this chapter, uses the first three words to instruct his readers to praise the Lord. The Hebrew word that David uses for Lord is identified in Strong’s Concordance as “Yhovah, the self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God — Jehovah, the Lord.”
Not just the individual, but the people who make up the nations of the world, are to extol Him in their praise, meaning that they are to highly praise Him. No one is excluded. Everybody, everywhere, should praise the Lord. The Bible teaches us who the Lord is and how we are to reverence Him. In just three words, David makes it plain, “Praise the Lord!”
When engulfed in turmoil, going through difficult times, celebrating momentous occasions, or just living life on its own terms, we are encouraged to praise the Lord. He is an awesome God who loves us with steadfast, unchanging, immovable, and a faithful love. It’s not just a right now love, it a forever love that will never fail. He never stops loving us. Just in case there are still doubts or apprehensions about who should praise the Lord, the Book of Psalms closes with these words, “Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD!” (Psalm 150:6 KJV)
Everybody should be doing it!
Be Blessed!
Rev. J. Loren Russell is an associate minister at both Goodwill and The Greater Universal Baptist Churches in the Bronx, President/CEO of The JLR Company for Church Financial & Strategic Consulting, and hosts “Matters of Faith – The Radio Show” on Soul 1 Radio, Mondays 8:00 – 10:00 PM. Listen here or by phone at 626-226-1448. Be sure to friend “Matters of Faith” on Facebook, Twitter @jlorenr, and email us at matteroffaith.mof@gmail.com.
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