Psalm 117

This Psalm, although short, starts with a call for all people to praise God and ends with a call to praise God

Praise the Lord all you gentiles - this Psalm speaks of all people praising the Lord, not just Israel. In the Authorised Version (AV/KJV) the word 'gentile' is translated: nations - God's plan was always to include non Jews into His Kingdom. 

We are reminded of John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

God's love ultimately, is for the whole of humanity - the apex of His creation. 

Laud Him, all you peoples - to 'laud' is to give praise. Why must we Laud (praise) Him? 

'For His merciful kindness is great towards us.' God is merciful towards all people. He is merciful towards sinners, none of us deserve anything let alone God's mercy, yet He provides us with such a bountiful of good things in the physical world - air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat, family, friends etc. When we are saved He also provides in the spiritual world. He gives us a new heart, a new perspective, eternal life, He is preparing a place for us in glory, we have an assurance of being with Him forever in heaven, He blesses us with spiritual and physical blessings. 

His truth endures forever - He never fails and He never falters. Humanity may say that truth is fluid, but that's like building your house on the sand - God's truth is eternal, solid, unchanging and firm, it can be relied upon totally. God is all truth. 

Jesus Christ said to Thomas in John 14:6: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are truth. It is who they are. His truth is eternal and endures forever - we can trust in it, believe in it and have faith in it. 

Because His mercy and truth never fail and are eternal, all it leaves for us to do is Praise the Lord!

As we go through our lives, let us do that, acknowledging who He is, His provision and what He has done for us!

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Zephaniah 3:17

 

One of my favourite verses in Scripture is Zephaniah 3:17e:

“The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”

I remember as a child, music being a big part of my life. My dad would sing hymns as he worked and my mum would sing nursery rhymes to my sister and I. As I got older I would sing and I learned to play the flute. I loved listening to classical music and I remember my first LP was James Galway playing the flute - it may seem a bit nerdy, but the melodies and harmonies, intertwined to produce some of the most amazing sounds. 

I had been a Christian for a fair few years before a dear brother in Christ pointed that verse out to me - I'd never seen it before. 

Dear reader, can you imagine a thrice holy, 100% righteous God singing - actually singing over His disobedient, rebellious people? What a song of love, grace, mercy, forgiveness. I can't imagine a more beautiful song. He doesn't just sing over His people, He REJOICES with singing over us. The perfect melodies of love and peace intertwined with harmonies of grace and mercy. His rejoicing is filled with gladness with pianissimo of love - this is no cacophony of sound, this is a throne room filled to overflowing with the heart felt music of our Creator as He delights in His people.