Day 700: Psalm 117- God's Faithfulness To All Nations

Praise the Lord, all nations!
    Extol him, all peoples!
2 For great is his steadfast love toward us,
    and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!
 
Meditation
The shortest song in the Psalter has the broadest scope of impact. Firm faith worships God for His faithfulness, claiming the fullness of His promises even before they are already realized. God is truthful to His promises and His gospel will reach every nation!
 
“All nations” are called to praise the Lord, “all peoples” to worship Israel’s covenant God. The scope of this song of salvation is undergirded by God’s revelation. The Lord is creator (Genesis 1-2) and calls His people to Himself (Genesis 12:1-3) in order that He may bless them and through them “bless all the nations of the earth.” God’s purposes through His people are confirmed in Revelation 7:9 when people from every tribe, tongue, and nation are in worshipful celebration around the throne of the Lamb.
 
God’s “great steadfast love” (2) toward Israel is confirmed by His faithfulness that endures forever. One way God’s faithfulness is seen is through His commitment to His promises, in this case to bless all the nations of the earth with His grace so that they can participate in this song of salvation. Paul quotes this Psalm in Romans 15:8-10 where he describes God’s faithfulness to reach every nation as a “display of God’s truthfulness, to confirm the promise given to the patriarchs.” This is, the promise to bless Abraham and through him to bless all the nations of the earth.
 
God is truthful and we can trust His word. God will keep His promises, not least of which is for worship to rise from every nation, tongue, and tribe.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Which aspect of the scope of this Psalm speaks the most to you, the breadth of God’s mission (every nation) or the depth of God’s faithfulness?
 
-God rules over the nations and is working worship from every people in every place of the globe. Do you believe this? Why is it significant that the apostle Paul did?
 
-How can you trust God’s promise through participating in His purposes? If God is truly truthful to His promises then should it not have radical implications for your life? How?
 
Key Verse
1 Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples!