“For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing to your name.” – Psalm 18:49

This royal psalm of David focuses on how the Davidic rule of Israel is proof of God’s love for his elect. This psalm is nearly identical to the text in 2 Samuel 22. This verse, at the end of the lengthy psalm, calls for praise to be given to God throughout the globe. Paul quotes this verse (Rom 15:9) when referencing how Jesus brought the Gentiles into the family of God. As disciples of Christ, we are to walk among the nations and praise his name for blessings we have been given.

Servants of Yahweh should never forget, it is God’s plan for him to call non-believers and practitioners of other religions to himself. We should not disregard any person, people group, or geography. The lost will hear us praising the Lord and ultimately praise him themselves. James Montgomery Boice said, “At first glance there does not seem to be anything unusual about the psalm, a song by a Jewish king thanking God for, among other things, his victories over the surrounding Gentile nations. But suddenly toward the end of the psalm David declares that he is going to praise God not merely ‘to’ but also ‘among the [Gentile] nations.’ This implies that the Gentiles are going to have a part in this praise, listening to it certainly but perhaps also praising God along with David.”[1] God will use his missionary minded elect to reach out to the nations, and they will hear us praising the Lord with wonderful results.

Oh, dearest servant of the Lord Most High, please do not disregard the lost people because of your biases or because of the difficulty to reach them. They will hear us praise God and they will respond. Run toward the nations. Send willing servants from among you. Pray for them and support them. The nations await your actions, and God rejoices in your obedience.

[1] James Montgomery Boice, Romans: The New Humanity, vol. 4 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1991–), 1829.