Psalm 117 is the smallest psalm, and it is wonderfully wide. “Praise the Lord, all nations.” The song does not stop at the border. It summons everyone, because the Lord’s steadfast love is great, and his faithfulness endures.

Paul, in Romans, gathers the Scriptures to show that the Messiah’s mercy reaches the Gentiles. The nations are not an afterthought. From the beginning, God’s purpose has been to gather a people from every people, praising him together. Praise is meant to be shared.

This has public implications. If God is making one worshipping family from many languages and histories, then contempt becomes blasphemy. Racism and nationalism are not merely “opinions”. They are refusals of God’s mercy. The Church is meant to be a contradiction of such narrowness.

So pray for the nations: for peace, for justice, for truthful leadership, for the healing of historical wounds. Pray for the Church to sing with a wider throat, making room for voices unlike our own. Ask to love what God loves. Ask for friendships that cross lines we did not choose. And ask that your own praise would grow less narrow: that you would rejoice in God’s steadfast love not only for “us”, but for all.

Prayer Points

• Lord, gather the nations in praise; bring peace where hatred and suspicion have hardened.
• Heal historical wounds between peoples; grant repentance, truth-telling, and reconciliation.
• Give leaders wisdom and restraint; protect the vulnerable from scapegoating and contempt.
• Make the Church a foretaste of your gathered people, welcoming many voices with joy and honour.
• Enlarge my praise, Lord, so that I rejoice in your steadfast love for all nations.