Psalm 117 is the shortest psalm in the psalter, yet it beautifully encapsulates the essence of praise. It tells us whom we should praise, who should offer praise, and why we should praise.

First, we should praise “the Lord” (v. 1), or, as it says in the original Hebrew, Yahweh. Yahweh is the personal name God revealed to His servant Moses which identified Him as the God of this particular nation, Israel. He is not one among many gods; He is the only God and therefore the only God to be praised (Deuteronomy 5:7). We now know that this God has come to us in the Lord Jesus Christ, so it is equally appropriate that Jesus be the object of all our praise.

Second, who should offer praise? Since Yahweh alone is God, the psalmist commands “all you nations” to praise Him (Psalm 117:1). But the apostle Paul asks, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?” (Romans 10:14). The answer for Israel was that they were to be a light to the nations. As the Law of the Lord went out from Jerusalem, “all nations will stream to it” (Isaiah 2:2). For the church today, we are to go and make disciples of all nations, proclaiming the gospel and teaching them all that Jesus has commanded (Matthew 28:19–20; Luke 24:47).

The apostle Paul identified the essential sin of humanity as a failure to glorify God or give Him thanks (Romans 1:21). Praising God is the first obligation of all His creatures. So Psalm 117:1 is more than an invitation for everyone to praise the Lord; it is a command. The 19th-century missionary Henry Martyn once said, “I could not endure existence if Jesus was not glorified; it would be hell to me, if he were always to be dishonoured.”

Why should all nations give praise to the Lord? Because of His enduring love and faithfulness (v. 2). While His chosen people were the original recipients of the blessings of God’s love, it’s appropriate that all people acknowledge God’s faithfulness. That’s why Paul, on his first missionary journey, told the non-believing crowd in Lystra that God “has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy” (Acts 14:17).

But above all, God’s people praise Him for His amazing grace in salvation. In 1923, Methodist pastor Thomas Chisholm was reflecting on Lamentations 3:22–23, in which Jeremiah reminds the people of God’s compassions and faithfulness.

Chisolm then wrote the words of the now-famous hymn, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”. The last verse reminds God’s people of why we should praise Him:

Pardon for sin and a peace everlasting
Your own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside