Psalm 117; Extra Lectio Divina

Here again is psalm 117.

¹ Praise the Lord, all you nations;
extol him, all you peoples.
² For great is his love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.

Praise the Lord. (NIV)

Since psalm 117 is the shortest psalm we are offering a different opportunity for us in reading this psalm. You are invited to practice a little lectio divina with this psalm. Lectio divina is an ancient monastic practice of reading a short passages of scripture and letting the words reverberate into the very depth of your soul.  The idea is that your read this psalm. Let it sit for a minute, then read it again. Read it again in another translation. Here it is in the translation called The Message:

Praise God, everybody! Applaud God, all people!
His love has taken over our lives;
God’s faithful ways are eternal.
Hallelujah!

Now read this psalm out loud. What jumps out at you? Read that verse several times. Take time to meditate on this verse itself.

For me, the words that jump out are, “Great is his love for us.” That love is not just for me, but for all the nations-for everyone.

Read this psalm one more time in the King James version:

 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.

If you ever thought of memorizing scripture, this would be a perfect place to start.

How have you experienced God’s faithfulness in your life?