Great Love, Enduring Faithfulness
October 28, 2026
Praying Friends,
It doesn’t necessarily take many words to give rightful praise to God! Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in our Bible and yet also one of the most beautiful psalms of praise.
Psalm 117 (NIV) says: “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.”
The psalmist begins by giving an invitation to all people groups to praise the LORD. While God first established His covenant love with the nation of Israel, His desire was and is to bless all people.
It is a wonderful testament to the grace of God when a church gathers to worship, and voices rise from many different nationalities — some whose original language is different from English, and though they may struggle to express their praise, their hearts are full of adoration for God. It is such a beautiful thing!
The writer gives us a twofold reason for praising the LORD. Firstly, he speaks of God’s great love toward us. Secondly, he speaks of God’s faithfulness that endures forever.
Psalm 117 belongs to the group of praise psalms traditionally sung at Passover. The praise is rooted in a God who delivered his people from Egypt and kept the promises He made to them. It also comes just before Psalm 118, which opens and closes with, “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Psalm 117 is a compact preview of that theme.
The pairing of love and faithfulness is not a coincidence. It echoes God’s self-revelation to Moses in Exodus 34:6, where the LORD describes Himself as “abounding in love and faithfulness.” These two words are essentially God’s — who He has always shown Himself to be to His people.
The Hebrew word hesed has a few different nuances, which is why English translations vary, using steadfast love, loving-kindness, mercy, and unfailing love. It describes God’s loyal, covenant-keeping, devoted love. It is the kind of love that binds itself to someone by commitment rather than mood. It is love that acts, as when God delivers, forgives, and never goes away.
In this verse, the psalmist says God’s love is great toward us. It gives the sense of being mighty or prevailing. God’s love is not fragile or easily outweighed. It overcomes our failures, our distance, and our unworthiness.
Faithfulness (Hebrew: Emet) comes from the root of the word amen, meaning firm, reliable, sure. It is often translated as “truth” or “faithfulness.” Where love tells us the heart of God, faithfulness tells us of His dependability: He says what is true, and He does what He says.
His faithfulness “endures forever.” Human reliability has limits: promises are forgotten, circumstances change, people die. God’s faithfulness has no expiration date. What He affirmed yesterday stands today and will stand tomorrow.
The LORD’s great love and enduring faithfulness are worthy of our praise!
It might be helpful for you to take the time to write down one specific instance of God’s steadfast love and one of His faithfulness in your life from the past week, and then thank Him for each by name.
The psalmist then closes as he opens with a simple yet definite reminder, “Praise the LORD.” As we pray today for our prodigals and for revival among us, may we do so with overflowing hearts of gratitude!
Warmly in Christ,
Bryan and Rachel
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