“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.”
– Psalm 117
Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bile. It is only two verses long. But don’t let its shortness fool you into thinking it is not significant.
The psalm begins with a call to praise and ends with the same call to praise – Hallelujah!
- Hallelujah is the Hebrew word we translate as “Praise the LORD.”
- This word was used as a call to praise. It was an invitation for Jews to praise God.
In between the Hallelujahs is the reason why we are to give praise to God:
- For great is his love toward us
- the Faithfulness of the LORD endures forever
It is easy to go through the days without recalling or remembering all the ways God is loving and faithful to us. Too often, the only time we turn to God is when we have a concern, problem, or when we’re in need of something from God.
It’s not that we ought not pray and talk with God about these things. It’s just that it gets really exhausting when that’s all we talk with God about. It’s not that God is not working in our lives. God is. It’s just that we are too forgetful. Concerns or problems, we don’t even have to think about remembering. They’re all over our thoughts. But the good things take intentional recollection. That in and of itself tells us much about our nature. But we can correct that.
Start your prayers with praise and thanksgiving. Start by remembering and recalling all the ways God loves you and is faithful to you.
That’s your homework today. In fact, that’s your homework from now on. Before you utter a request, you will spend time recalling and remembering the ways God shows his love and faithfulness to you.
Start this day by recalling and remembering at least three ways God shows his love to you, and three ways God demonstrates his faithfulness to you. Write it down and thank God for the ways he loves you.
When you do, praise will come naturally.
Hallelujah! Praise the LORD!
Praxis: Faith in Action 