SECURITY
Opening Prayer
Lord, Your mercy indeed endures forever.
Read PSALM 118
Psalm 118
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
2 Let Israel say:
“His love endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say:
“His love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord say:
“His love endures forever.”
5 When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;
he brought me into a spacious place.
6 The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper.
I look in triumph on my enemies.
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in humans.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
10 All the nations surrounded me,
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
11 They surrounded me on every side,
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
12 They swarmed around me like bees,
but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;
in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
13 I was pushed back and about to fall,
but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and my defense[a];
he has become my salvation.
15 Shouts of joy and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!
16 The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
17 I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
18 The Lord has chastened me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.
19 Open for me the gates of the righteous;
I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord
through which the righteous may enter.
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.
22 The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
23 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.
25 Lord, save us!
Lord, grant us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.[b]
27 The Lord is God,
and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
up[c] to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Footnotes:
a Psalm 118:14 Or song
b Psalm 118:26 The Hebrew is plural.
c Psalm 118:27 Or Bind the festal sacrifice with ropes / and take it
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
Think which scriptures provide an anchor for your soul in times of distress.
Think Further
Martin Luther said that this was his favorite psalm (Arthur Weiser, The Psalms: A Commentary, SCM, 1962). It strengthened him when human forces were solidly arrayed against him. He put verse 17 on a plaque on his study wall. He said, “The fear of men diminishes in proportion to the consciousness of the greatness of God.” It is not just God’s great power that is extolled, but his enduring love. The psalmist uttered this when the enemy was attacking him, and he sees this as the Lord’s chastisement of him. The Lord disciplines those he loves (Prov 3:12; Heb 12:6). The psalmist asserts his confidence that he will not die but live.
We read this psalm on Palm Sunday. We know that those who greet Jesus on His way into Jerusalem use verse 26 as part of their praise (Mark 11:9). They see the psalm as significant not just in the original setting, but especially today as the King of Israel rides into Jerusalem. Jesus Himself cites verse 22 as part of His parable of
the tenants to describe His own experience (Mark 12:10) – rejected by the Jewish leaders but made the cornerstone of a new temple by God Himself.
This psalm forms the background to the whole story of Jesus going to the cross, and we know that He was reflecting upon it. Through all the suffering of the next week, including the awful cry from the cross, there would have been the refrain “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever” (1). Whenever we are called upon to suffer, those words (and this psalm as a whole) can stabilize us with the certainties of our God. Easter Day is only a week away!
Apply
Pray through the psalm for someone you know who is suffering.
Closing prayer
Lord, Your people believe that You are the cornerstone of the entire edifice, and without You it crumbles.
Book and Author Intros
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