Psalm 118 -- Prayer of Praise!



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 In my anguish I cried to the LORD ,

    and he answered by setting me free.

    6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.

    What can man do to me?

    7 The LORD is with me; he is my helper.

    I will look in triumph on my enemies.

   

    8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD

    than to trust in man.

    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 off.

    11 They surrounded me on every side,

    but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

    12 They swarmed around me like bees,

    but they died out as quickly as burning thorns;

    in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

   

    13 I was pushed back and about to fall,

    but the LORD helped me.

    14 The LORD is my strength and my song;

    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 righteousness;

    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 capstone;

    23 the LORD has done this,

    and it is marvelous in our eyes.

    24 This is the day the LORD has made;

    let us rejoice and be glad in it.

   

    25 O LORD , save us;

    O 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. [a]

    27 The LORD is God,

    and he has made his light shine upon us.

    With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession

    up [b] to the horns of the altar.

   

    28 You are my God, and I will give you thanks;

    you are my God, and I will exalt you.

   

    29 Give thanks to the LORD , for he is good;

    his love endures forever.

   

Last night I read Psalm 118 and was deeply moved and was really touched by it. I thought that it would be nice to share what I think about this great psalm. Give it a read through, then continue reading this quick study. If you don't have a Bible at hand, read it in the box below.

In twenty-nine verses, the author is able to illustrate some of the most awesome aspects of our God. In the first four verses, the poet affirms God's ever-lasting love repeating "His [God's] love endures forever" a total of four times. God will love us no matter what! How awesome is that? Let us be glad of God's love for us, because if He decided to turn His great love from us, we would be destined to spend eternity in hell.

The psalmist continues by saying how God answered his prayers by setting him free. Free from what? Most importantly for us, from sin (Jesus did this, although it wasn't yet available during the time this psalm was written). God's love and protection also allows us to be free from fear and doubt ("I will not be afraid," the psalmist declares in verse 6). By resting and trusting in the Lord, He helps us to overcome struggles against temptation and with the unsaved world. We are living in a world ruled by Satan and ungodly men, but by living in God, "what can man do" (verse 6) to us? They may be able to hurt our bodies, but God has reserved a place for us in Paradise, providing we believe.

However, living a Christian life does not necessarily lead to martyrdom; in fact, it seems that a rather small percentage of the Christian population actually experience this. God has a plan for every person on the planet, and martyrdom may be a task required only of a few. For the rest, God will protect!

Consider King David. Raised a shepherd, David rose to become Saul's best servant, but in return Saul constantly sought David's death. However, the Lord protected David and allowed him to eventually become king over Israel. David's persecution did not stop then, though; his kingdom was constantly plagued by wars, and his son, Absalom, wanted to kill him. David and his followers were even exiled to the desert during Absalom's bitter insurrection. Through all these terrible trials, howeer, David trusted in God and fought against despair. As a reward, God protected His blessed servant. This same protection is available to us now. As the psalmist says, "I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation" (verses 13-14). The Lord will help us through our darkest hours and eventually embrace us in Heaven. Our task is to trust Him and to praise His name always, for He is worthy. The poet continues to exhort us to praise God in verses 15-21. God is our salvation and deserves our thanks!

The next verse, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone" (verse 22), means two things to me. First, it calls to mind Jesus our Savior. In life, Jesus was rejected by the priests and leaders of the time, and contiues to be discredited today by many people through the work of Satan. People have worked to keep Jesus out of schools, the workplace, and out of the world in general. Jesus has born the brunt of the biggest rejection in history -- not only was He rejected in the time that He walked the earth as a man, but He has been rejected (probably daily) since His death 2,000 years ago. However, we know that without Jesus, salvation would be impossible and no one would get to celebrate in Heaven. Perhaps without Jesus and His awesome sacrifice, the very Kingdom of God would crumble. He is surely the capstone and cornerstone without which we would all be doomed.

I also see this "stone" as being every person living in God. Who has not had their faith rejected and ridiculed? Jesus predicted this and said that such rejections are to our and His honor. When we are thrust aside by the world, God is ready with open arms to shower us in His glory and love.

Also, we are great sinners and do not deserve the luxury of Heaven, but God mercifully has cleansed us in His Son and allows us to represent Him to others through witnessing, missions, and Christian works. Jesus did not come to save the spiritually healthy, but to save the sinful. That's us!

Nonetheless, whether the stone represents Jesus or ourselves, let us praise God for His saving mercy as the psalmist does: "The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (verses 23-24). The psalmist then exhorts God to save him, both from the evils of the world and from sin: "O Lord, save us; O Lord, grant us success" (verses 25-26). Praise God, He has done this! Through the power of God, we can know that we will eventually win the battles we fight against sin.

The psalmist concludes his song with more much-deserved praise of the Lord, thanking God for His mercy, blessings, and holy power. And of course, His love, which endures forever.

This psalm is so enthusiastic and I can feel the joy of its author as he proclaims God's love again and again. Aside from being an awesome illustration of God's love and mercy, it is also a wonderful praise and thanks prayer. I know that I have sometimes prayed prayers mostly consisting of hallejuahs and thanksgiving, and very little requests. God is there to aid us in all things, but He is also worthy of praise. Let us proclaim our thanks to Him!