Psalm 118 (AMP)

The Psalm of Thanksgiving for the Lord's Goodness

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness endures forever. Oh let Israel say, “His lovingkindness endures forever.” Oh let the house of Aaron say, “His lovingkindness endures forever.” Oh let those who [reverently] fear the Lord, say, “His lovingkindness endures forever.” Out of my distress I called on the Lord; The Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can [mere] man do to me? [Heb 13:6] The Lord is on my side, He is among those who help me; Therefore I will look [in triumph] on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord Than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord Than to trust in princes. All nations encompassed me; In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off. They encompassed me, yes, they surrounded me [on every side]; In the name of the Lord I will cut them off. They swarmed around me like bees; They flare up and are extinguished like a fire of thorns; In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off. [Deut 1:44] You [my enemy] pushed me violently so that I was falling, But the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation. The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous: The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. The right hand of the Lord is exalted; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. I will not die, but live, And declare the works and recount the illustrious acts of the Lord. The Lord has disciplined me severely, But He has not given me over to death. [2 Cor 6:9] Open to me the [temple] gates of righteousness; I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; The righteous will enter through it. [Ps 24:7] I will give thanks to You, for You have heard and answered me; And You have become my salvation [my Rescuer, my Savior]. The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone. This is from the Lord  and is His doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. [Matt 21:42; Acts 4:11; 1 Pet 2:7] This [day in which God has saved me] is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. O Lord, save now, we beseech You; O Lord, we beseech You, send now prosperity and give us success! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord; We have blessed you from the house of the Lord [you who come into His sanctuary under His guardianship]. [Mark 11:9, 10] The Lord is God, and He has given us light [illuminating us with His grace and freedom and joy]. Bind the festival sacrifices with cords to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I give thanks to You; [You are] my God, I extol You. O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness endures forever.

No matter the obstacles you face in life remember beloved the Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever. In our valleys… in our pain… in our disappointments we can seek the Lord for He is good and his mercy endures forever. The first few line of Psalm 118 lifts our spirits as the writer repeats and request for us to repeat “His loving kindness endures forever.” It is easy to worship and give praise to the Lord on mountain tops, when things are going our way, the peaks, and successes in life, but, when you are down lift up your eyes and pour out your sacrifice of praise. Even when it is hard to pray simply call on His name. Call on the name of Jesus. It is written in verse 14 the Lord is your strength and your song. So when you feel weak like you can barely speak… He holds you close. He is a very present God and a very present help in the time of trouble. He collects your tears and understands your pain. He laid down His life and has become your salvation.

Remind yourself of this promise, “I will not die, but live, and declare the works and recount the illustrious acts of the Lord.” (Psalm 118:17). We have heard this verse but not always in its completion. We have heard that we will live and not die and declare the works of the Lord. But the verse in the AMP states not only will we live and not die but we will “Recount the illustrious acts of the Lord.” Illustrious in our Webster dictionary means notably or brilliantly outstanding. Instead of focusing on our current circumstance we should recount the times when the Lord made a way. Recount the times when we sought the Lord and He heard and He answered. This precious Psalm holds so many nuggets for the believer. The Lord has been so good and He would not have brought us this far to leave us. We must recount His splendor and majesty. He is worthy of our praise and loves us more than we can imagine. He sees us exactly where we are and is closer than the air we breathe.

At times the trials seem more than we can bear but His grace is sufficient for us and His power is made great in our weakness. Run to the father and tell Him what you feel. He loves you and understands you. As a good Father, He does not always give us everything we want… but…He will give us everything we need. Let us shift our perspective to seek out what the Lord wants for us. In verse 18, the psalmist stated the Lord has disciplined severely but not to the point of death. We all need correction and can be comforted to know our Heavenly Father does it in love. Our faith in Him is refined by fire. Hold fast to His promises for He will turn all things around for your good for the good of those who believe. He is our God and let us confess and give a sacrifice of praise for His loving kindness endures forever. 

I pray that you will hold fast to the truth in this Psalm and bring everything to the Lords feet. Be humble, open, and transparent with our Heavenly Father. When you do you will see Him work and be able to recount this moment when He did. In Jesus Name, Amen! 

Written By: 

A Child of the Most High

Anastasia