Praise the Lord, all nations! Glorify him, all peoples! For his faithful love to us is great; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever. Hallelujah! (117)
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humanity. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in nobles. (118:8-9)
The Lord is truly faithful. You can always count on Him regardless of the circumstances or the challenges. I think of Peter walking on the water and seeing the wind and the waves and getting his eyes off of Jesus—it was at that moment that he began to sink. He never changes and you can always trust in Him. This is truly a reason to praise Him and He is worthy of praise among all the nations. Let’s be honest; people let us down sometimes, but God will never let you down. Sometimes in the confusion, it is hard to see His plan, but you can certainly trust His heart and that it is for your best. The same can’t be said of people. In the next Psalm (118) the psalmist continues the theme of God’s faithfulness and warns us against trusting in humanity.
It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t love people or even give them the benefit of the doubt. It just means that we have to understand that people are fallen and they are limited in their power. There is only so much they can do, and often their motives for doing what they do are not in our best interests but theirs. It is better to take refuge in the Lord. That is a great reminder during these days of political strife. It is better to trust in the Lord than ordinary people like us AND it is better to trust in the Lord than nobles—those who are rich or who are in power (or seeking power). At the end of the day, politicians do not have the answers and neither does money; only Jesus can truly be our refuge and strength because He is Lord and His faithfulness endures forever.
