Friday, April 25, 2025  

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Today's Scripture
Psalm 118:14–29

The Lord is my strength and my might;
  he has become my salvation.

There are glad songs of victory 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 shall not die, but I shall live,

  and recount the deeds of the Lord.

The Lord has punished me severely,

  but he did not give me over to death.

Open to me the gates of righteousness,

  that I may enter through them

  and give thanks to the Lord.

This is the gate of the Lord;

  the righteous shall enter through it.

I thank you that you have answered me

  and have become my salvation.

The stone that the builders rejected

  has become the chief cornerstone.

This is the Lord’s doing;

  it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day that the Lord has made;

  let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Save us, we beseech you, O Lord!

  O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.

  We bless you from the house of the Lord.

The Lord is God,

  and he has given us light.

Bind the festal procession with branches,

  up to the horns of the altar.

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

  you are my God, I will extol you.

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

  for his steadfast love endures forever. (NRSV)

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Reflection

This psalm contains one of my favorite, and well-known, verses: “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (v. 24). If there was ever a time I needed to hear this, it is now. It reminds me to be grateful for today. To be joyful today. Not tomorrow, not next week, today. Now.

Beyond this verse, Psalm 118 is about victory and thanksgiving. The psalmist is singing for joy that, after facing hardship, by God’s grace he has emerged into new life. 

I reflect on times when I have been through hard times. There is that moment when I have made it through whatever I was experiencing — that moment when you break through and get to the other side. Have you ever felt the joy of that moment?

As we are celebrating Jesus’ resurrection, this psalm is about resurrection joy — the joy that comes from facing hardship and moving past it. The joy of love and hope winning over darkness. The joy of new life.

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Prayer
Gracious God, you are our strength and our salvation. When we are rejected, you claim us. When we are broken, you build us up. Help us to remember that today is the day that you have made and to rejoice and be glad in it. Thank you for the love and hope you brought into the world through your Son.  

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Written by Anthony Hipp, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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