“Praise the Lord, all nations. Extol Him, all peoples.”
– Psalm 117:1
Psalm 117:1 is a constant call that we read throughout the Psalms. The Psalmist constantly calling the nations to praise God, and it’s part of why we, in this podcast, like integrate praying for the nations to praise God because this is what the people of God do. We call the nations to praise God. We call the peoples to praise God. And we live for this, we live for this right around us.
Just think about the community you live in and all the different groups of people, ethnicities represented in the community, the city, the state, the country around you and in countries around the world, in nations around the world, in people groups around the world. Some estimate well over 10,000 people groups in the world, peoples, and the Christian lives to see God extolled and praised among all of them.
Psalm 117:1 Reminds Us to Praise God
Churches exist to see God praised and extoled among all nations. Global mission is not a program in the church, but the purpose for which we have breath.
Our churches exist to see God praised and extolled among all the nations, among all the peoples. Global mission, the global praise of God among all the peoples of the world is not a program in the church. It’s the purpose you and I have breath, to live for this, to pray for this, to give toward this, to work toward this, and so let’s do it. Let’s pray right now and align with Psalm 117:1.
Psalm 117:1 Leads Us to Praise God
God, we pray for your praise to be made known among all the nations, for your extolling among all the peoples. God, we pray that your name would be praised and extolled in North Korea, in Saudi Arabia. We pray that your name would be extolled and praised in Syria and Afghanistan, in Indonesia. And we pray that your name would be extolled and praised in Libya, in Liberia, in Chad, in Somalia, in Eritrea.
Oh God, we pray that people in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India will praise and extol your name. God, we pray people in Germany, in France, in Spain, in the Netherlands will praise your name. We pray people in Brazil and Uruguay will praise and extol your name. God, we pray people in Honduras, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic and Haiti will praise your name. We pray that people in the United States, Canada, Mexico, will praise your name. And not just in geopolitical entities, these nations, but among all the peoples represented around the world.
This Verse Leads Us to Pray That All Nations Will Praise God
We pray that the Baloch, among the Hoa, among the Berber, the Tatar, the Turks, the Kurds, the Bedouin, will praised and extolled your name. God, please, cause all nations to extolled and praised you name and please help us to live for this.
Help us to pray for this day in and day out. Help us to give toward this. And help us to work in our churches. God, help churches to work together to see your name praised and extolled among all the nations. Please use our lives to see your name praised and extolled among all the nations. Use our lives today, even our praying right now, toward that end. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
