Pray:
Ask God to orient or reorient you to Himself. Confess any known sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word. Pray for others in your life that they, too, would know and love God today.
Read:
Psalm 118: 1-4
“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.”
Understand:
Psalm 118 is the last of what is known as the Egyptian Hallel (Psalms 113-118). The word Hallel means to praise the LORD. These psalms had a special place in the Passover celebration. The psalms 113 & 114 would be recited or sung before the Passover meal and psalms 115-118 would be sung after the meal.
One person would say or sing, “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,” and then the entire congregation would join together in one voice and say, “His love endures forever!” These opening verses were a call for all of Israel to praise the LORD for: His unfailing goodness, His steadfast love, His lovingkindness, His hesed love that endures forever. They were praising God for His covenant love, a love that will last for eternity. I can imagine as the worshipers reflected on the truth of God’s love for them, they couldn’t help but breakout in praise as they said together in one voice, “His love endures forever!”
Another fascinating thought for me to ponder… It’s likely Jesus and His disciples sang this very psalm together as they concluded the Passover meal in the upper room.
Apply:
As New Testament believers, we have reason to break out in thankfulness and praise as we reflect about what Christ Jesus has done for us. Romans 8:2 tells us that Christ has set us free from the law of sin and death! The dominion of sin is broken and the reign of godliness is assured. This alone is reason enough to break out in praise! What Christ did for us, he did once for all.
Remember what 1 Peter 2 tells us: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who are God’s own possession. You have become this people so that you may speak of the wonderful acts of the One who called you out of darkness into His amazing light. Once you weren’t a people, but now you are God’s people. Once you hadn’t received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
Yes, we have so many reasons to offer our praise to Him. Would you take a moment and reflect on God’s lovingkindness toward you and offer your praise to Him alone? Know that “His love endures forever!”
Live:
(Personalize this prayer today; make it specific to the circumstances that face you.)
Ask God to lead you through His Spirit as you go through your day. Ask Him to bring to mind the truth of the gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell Him “Yes” to His will and ask Him for His power and protection to live this “yes.” Ask God to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the good news today. KEEP PRAYING THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY.