Psalm 117

Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.

So reads the whole of Psalm 117. It’s the shortest psalm, but it has an enormous message which embraces the whole of the Bible. Every single person needs to join in praising God. Praising Him isn’t confined to a little group of fervent believers. He is God of the world, so He needs to be worshipped by everyone.

I love the fact that all the churches I know draw together people from a number of different nations. Some of them choose to display the flags of the countries that are represented in the congregation and this seems to me a wonderful way of affirming this great psalm. Although God had a very special relationship with the people of Israel, it was never His intention that they alone should worship Him. God’s heart was always for the whole world. In the book of Revelation, we see the climax of history, when a vast crowd will gather together so great that no one could count it: “from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands” (Revelation 7:9).

Worship is important because it puts everything and everyone in their right place. When we acknowledge the supremacy of God, our creator and saviour, we see our lives in a true perspective and can then enjoy them to the full.

Question

What has been the importance of worship in your life?

Prayer

Loving God, thank You for the way in which worship blesses and strengthens my life. Amen