Daily Devotional • October 5
Psalm 118
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let Israel say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
5 Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
6 With the Lord on my side I do not fear.
What can mortals do to me?
7 The Lord is on my side to help me;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to put confidence in mortals.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to put confidence in princes.
10 All nations surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
11 They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
12 They surrounded me like bees;
they blazed like a fire of thorns;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,
but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and my might;
he has become my salvation.
15 There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the Lord does valiantly;
16 the right hand of the Lord is exalted;
the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.”
17 I shall not die, but I shall live
and recount the deeds of the Lord.
18 The Lord has punished me severely,
but he did not give me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save us, we beseech you, O Lord!
O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is God,
and he has given us light.
Bind the festal procession with branches,
up to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
29 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Meditation
“…they sung the hymn…” (Matt 26:30, Mark 14:26)
An often-overlooked detail in the narrative of Jesus’ last supper with the twelve disciples is that they ended their time together in the upper room with a song. Biblical scholars and historians believe that “the hymn” referred to in the gospel accounts was probably Psalm 118, the last of a group of psalms called the “Hallel” psalms (Psalms 113-118), which are customarily sung during the Passover meal. In churches today, Psalm 118 is most familiar for the portions used in the Palm Sunday and Easter liturgies. The richness of this psalm is magnified when one considers the psalm in its entirety and when one imagines Jesus singing these very words just before going to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, knowing that his betrayal, arrest, and execution will soon follow.
“Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his mercy endures for ever.” Everything in Psalm 118 is to be understood through its identical opening and closing verses (known as an “inclusio”). The beginning and end, the Alpha and Omega—at all times and in all circumstances, God is good and God’s “hesed” (his mercy, his lovingkindness, his steadfast love) never leaves us. How many of us, knowing that we are about to walk into a place of deep suffering, into the hands of those who wish us dead, would be able to lift our voice and sing: “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”? Jesus knows his Father’s heart and is able to respond to the Father’s steadfast love with steadfast gratitude and joy, even in the most dire of circumstances. Jesus shows us that every day is a day to rejoice and give thanks to the Lord—not just festal days like Passover and Easter, not just days of abundance and good things. Days of trial and suffering can also stir us to gratitude and joy if we know the Father’s heart.
Lord, grant us the grace and courage to remember with gratitude and joy that, at all times and in all circumstances, you are good and your steadfast love never leaves us. Amen.
Monica Coakley is an Assisting Priest at Luminous Parish in Franklin, TN and also provides pastoral care to men on Tennessee’s death row. She lives with her family on a small farm and hoards books and yarn.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
The Anglican Church of Tanzania
