Psalms 117:8-9 (118:8-9)
Rather than to trust in man;
It is good to hope in the Lord
Psalms 117:1-4 (118:1-4)
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say that He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Aaron say that He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.
Let all who fear the Lord say that He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.
Personal Challenge
God’s mercy endures forever. Do we really believe this? It is easy to proclaim this when everything is going our way and we are in the midst of prosperous times. But what about during the hard times, the difficult and challenging times? Is our proclamation of God’s greatness dependent on how we like what is going on around us or is it constant, no matter what the circumstances? We still live in a fallen world, which grieves our Lord. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy, on me the sinner!
Psalm 116 (117)
Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;
Praise Him, all you peoples,
For His mercy rules over us;
And the truth of the Lord endures forever.
Encouraging Words
Who should praise the Land? Everyone! Why? Because He has poured out His mercy upon us out of His never-ending love for us. He endures forever and desires that we live the remainder of eternity with Him. Glory be to God!
Psalms 112:3 (113:3)
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
Praise the name of the Lord.
Personal Challenge
Sometimes we get so caught up in the cares of this world that we forget that it is our Lord who will see us through the dark times as well as the bright times. If we take the time to praise Him continually, we will see His hand at work at all times. Glory be to God!
Psalms 114:1-2 (116:1–2)
I have loved, because the Lord Shall hear the voice of my supplication;
For He inclined His ear to me,
And in my days I shall call upon Him.
Encouraging Words
We can love others the way that God wants us to because He has loved us this way. His love for us goes beyond any form of earthly love that we can summon up. By calling up Him, knowing that He will hear our voices, we can learn to love others as He loves us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!
Psalms 111:4 (112:4)
For the upright, light springs up in darkness,
Encouraging Words
Are the rewards, or benefits, for trying to live an upright and godly life worth it? Absolutely. There are many, but the Psalmist points out one specific benefit here. When we choose to live our lives in ways that glorify our Lord, we will have His light spring up in those times of darkness in our lives. He will always pour His mercy and compassion on us. Glory be to God.
Psalms 110:4 (111:4)
He made a remembrance of His wonders;
The Lord is merciful and compassionate;
Encouraging Words
Our Lord has done many great things since the dawn of creation. It is good for us to remember this for in seeing His great works and His love for His children we see how merciful and compassionate He is toward us. Glory be to God!
Psalms 110:10 (111:10)
The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord;
A good understanding is in all who practice it.
His praise continues unto ages of ages.
Encouraging Words
True wisdom and understanding do not come from the books that we read and the scholars that we follow. These may provide us information, but unless we approach them with fear and respect of the Lord, our source of truth, we gain that information in vain. Jesus is our source of truth, He is Wisdom. Without Him, anything else that we attempt to learn is misdirected. Glory be to God!