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THOUGHTS ON THE SHORTEST PSALM The Psalmist
wrote the following 30 words in what we know as the 117th Psalm – the shortest
of the 150 writings in Book of Psalms: Praise the Lord, all
you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you
peoples! For His merciful
kindness is great toward us, And the truth of the
Lord endured forever. Praise the Lord! Though short in
length, these words teach great things about how great a God we have. First, we are to
praise God and laud (glorify) Him. This is not a task for a certain select few.
Instead, all of us have the responsibility of giving God the glory He is due –
everyday of our lives. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that they were to
"Glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (I
Corinthians 6:20). Let us never forget that we must praise God everyday, in all
that we do. Second, we are
to remember God's great mercy and kindness. Paul told the Ephesians that it was
"by grace" we have been saved so as to squelch any attempt on our part
to argue that it is our greatness which makes us deserving of heaven (Ephesians
2:8-9). None of us deserves heaven. Yet, all of us can hope for that home as a
result of God's mercy and wonderful kindness in giving His son to die (John
3:16). Finally, God's
truth will endure forever. According to the Son of God, the word of God is the
truth (John 17:17). And, we know that these holy scriptures are able to make man
thoroughly furnished unto all Good works (II Timothy 3:16-17). Because the truth
is so important (John 8:32), it is necessary that it remain for all time.
Indeed, it will endure forever and those who believe in its power and render
obedience to its precepts will spend eternity with God. Leland Ping Santee |