Psalms 118:1-29

Keep on giving your thanks to God, for he is so good! His constant, tender love lasts forever! Let all his princely people sing, “His constant, tender love lasts forever!” Let all his holy priests sing, “His constant, tender love lasts forever!” Let all his lovers who bow low before him sing, “His constant, tender love lasts forever!” Out of my deep anguish and pain I prayed, and God, you helped me as a father. You came to my rescue and broke open the way into a beautiful and broad place. Now I know, Lord, that you are for me, and I will never fear what man can do to me. For you stand beside me as my hero who rescues me. I’ve seen with my own eyes the defeat of my enemies. I’ve triumphed over them all! Lord, it is so much better to trust in you to save me than to put my confidence in someone else. Yes, it is so much better to trust in the Lord to save me than to put my confidence in celebrities. Once I was hemmed in and surrounded by those who don’t love you. But by YAHWEH’s supernatural power I overcame them all! Yes, they surrounded me, like a swarm of killer bees swirling around me. I was trapped like one trapped by a raging fire; I was surrounded with no way out and at the point of collapse. But by YAHWEH’s supernatural power, I overcame them all! They pushed me right up to the edge, and I was ready to fall, but you helped me to triumph, and together we overcame them all. Lord, you are my true strength and my glory-song, my champion, my Savior! The joyful songs I now sing will be sung again in the hearts and homes of all your devoted lovers. My loud shouts of victory will echo throughout the land. For YAHWEH’s right hand conquers valiantly! The right hand of YAHWEH exalts! The right hand of YAHWEH will never fail. You will not let them kill me, but I will live to tell the world what the Lord has done for me. Yes, the Lord punished me as I deserved, but he’ll never give me over to death. Swing wide, you gates of righteousness, and let me pass through, and I will enter into God’s presence to worship only him. I have found the gateway to God, the pathway to his presence for all his devoted lovers. I will offer all my loving praise to you, and I thank you so much for answering my prayer and bringing me salvation! The very stone the masons rejected as flawed has turned out to be the most important capstone of the arch, holding up the very house of God. The Lord himself is the one who has done this, and it’s so amazing, so marvelous to see! This is the very day of the Lord that brings gladness and joy, filling our hearts with glee. O God, please come and save us again; bring us your breakthrough-victory! Blessed is this one who comes to us, the sent one of the Lord. And from within the temple we cry, “We bless you!” For the Lord our God has brought us his glory-light. I offer him my life in joyous sacrifice. Tied tightly to your altar, I will bring you praise. For you are the God of my life and I lift you high, exalting you to the highest place. So let’s keep on giving our thanks to God, for he is so good! His constant, tender love lasts forever!