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"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

 

This is the shortest psalm and thereby the shortest ‘chapter’ of all the books of the Bible.  Psalm 117 falls in the very center of our Bibles and helps us center our minds and our hearts and our lives where they should be.  The LORD is never failing in his faithfulness and great(est) in his steadfast love (v.2).  He is over all peoples and nations (v.1).  Our only response should be to extol and praise him (v.1-2) for his character, his words and his works. 

As Jerry Bridges points out in his book Transforming Grace, “God does not owe anyone anything…We can never obligate God by our obedience or sacrificial service…As sovereign ruler of the universe, God has the right to require perfect obedience and faithful service from all of us without in the least obligating himself.  We OWE him such obedience and service.”

Martin Luther spoke of, “…blessings that at times come to us through our labors and at times without our labors, but never because of our labors; for God always gives them because of his underserved mercy.”

John Calvin once wrote, “All God’s promises depend upon Christ alone…it is only in Christ that God the Father is graciously inclined toward us…we are incapable of possessing God’s promises till we have received the remission of our sins and that comes to us through Christ.”

Memorize this psalm.  Use it to worship God each day and keep your heart and mind and life centered on Christ and the mercy, grace, blessings and promises we have because of him.