Praise Him, Everyone!
O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord. Psalm 117: 1-2 (KJV)
Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible, and it is also the one located at the center of the Bible. It is the Bible’s middle chapter. It is a call for all nations to praise the Lord.
Lord is the word Jehovah, or Yahweh, meaning the Revealing One, the Self-existent One. Lord is spelled YHWH. It is God’s personal name in which He reveals Himself. In Exodus 3:14, it is expressed as I Am. In other words, God is saying I Am who I Am. It means to be and describes the self-existent God. We are to praise and worship God for who He is.
The fact that this is the shortest chapter in the Bible, shows us that God does big things with little things. It is centered in the Bible, and that is not an accident. We are to keep God in the center of our lives by praising Him. Though our praise may start small, God will increase it. Though we start out small, God will increase us and our works as we keep Him in the center of everything.
This chapter tells us to praise the Lord three times, representing all three members of the Trinity and representing the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Both of these are central tenants of the Christian faith. As we praise the Triune God, the Three-in-One, we see God the Self-existent One who reveals Himself. What is dead will live again. Dreams, visions, hopes, callings, gifts, relationships, health- any dead thing can be brought back to life.
And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. Romans 15:11 (KJV)
Psalm 117:1 is referenced by Paul in Romans 15:11, showing us that all nations are offered salvation by God. All nations are to praise Him. Psalm 67 verifies this and Psalm 150 tells everything with breath to praise the Lord. The nations, all peoples, and all living things are called to praise God.
Psalm 150 is the hallelujah chorus of Earth, while Revelation 19 tells of the hallelujah chorus of Heaven. Alleluia, or a New Testament rendering of Hallelujah, is stated four times in this chapter of Revelation. it speaks of universal praise. Hallelujah (alleluia) is derived from two Hebrew words: halal, meaning praise, and Jah, referring to Yahweh, the Lord. So, hallelujah means praise ye the Lord. All in Heaven and earth are to praise the Lord. Praise Him, everyone!
