Praise the Lord!
Here we come to the shortest chapter in the Bible, and it is followed closely by the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119. Psalm 117 is also the middle chapter in the Bible. As I was told as a child, if we open the Bible to the exact middle, we will come to the book of Psalms, and if we are very precise, we will come to this chapter. Isn't it marvelous how God preserved His Word for us so well and so deliberately? Knowing these things, we turn to the meaning of this short verse. It is all about praising God. (Psalm 117) Let's look carefully, so we will understand our command to praise the Lord and do it better.
Everybody in the world is commanded to praise the Lord. This is not just an imperative for believers, but for unbelievers, also. The reason is that when we do not praise the Lord everything in our hearts and in our thinking is off base. God doesn't want anyone to have a terrible life. Therefore, He gives us this command to help us, not because He is conceited. Then, we praise God to applaud all of His works. It is not so much giving Him praise for what He has done, that is why we thank God. Our applause for God shows that we rejoice in His wisdom and power to be able to do what He does. It is like clapping for a team that makes a good play or wins a game. It is not so much thanks, as lauding their ability to do it. The main thing that deserves our praise is that His love, God's covenant, faithful love has taken over our lives. It has overpowered us, even those who are oblivious to it. Without God we could not breathe, walk, talk, think or feel. We would not have life, at all. He deserves all praise just for us being alive and His blessings that go with life. Finally, God's ways and His truth, are eternal. There is nothing that can change Him or stop His faithfulness. That is why we should all shout, "Hallelujah!," which means praise the Lord in Hebrew. So, we have no excuse for not praising God. Let's do it all the time, so all can have life as He desires.
#NHBaptistdotorg
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalm 118-119.
Everybody in the world is commanded to praise the Lord. This is not just an imperative for believers, but for unbelievers, also. The reason is that when we do not praise the Lord everything in our hearts and in our thinking is off base. God doesn't want anyone to have a terrible life. Therefore, He gives us this command to help us, not because He is conceited. Then, we praise God to applaud all of His works. It is not so much giving Him praise for what He has done, that is why we thank God. Our applause for God shows that we rejoice in His wisdom and power to be able to do what He does. It is like clapping for a team that makes a good play or wins a game. It is not so much thanks, as lauding their ability to do it. The main thing that deserves our praise is that His love, God's covenant, faithful love has taken over our lives. It has overpowered us, even those who are oblivious to it. Without God we could not breathe, walk, talk, think or feel. We would not have life, at all. He deserves all praise just for us being alive and His blessings that go with life. Finally, God's ways and His truth, are eternal. There is nothing that can change Him or stop His faithfulness. That is why we should all shout, "Hallelujah!," which means praise the Lord in Hebrew. So, we have no excuse for not praising God. Let's do it all the time, so all can have life as He desires.
#NHBaptistdotorg
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalm 118-119.