Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!
Verse 2Let Israel say, "His steadfast love endures forever."
Verse 14The Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.
Verse 15There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: "The right hand of the Lord does valiantly;
Verse 16the right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly."
Verse 17I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.
Verse 18The Lord has punished me severely, but he did not give me over to death.
Verse 19Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.
Verse 20This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.
Verse 21I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.
Verse 22The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
Verse 23This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
Verse 24This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Devotion
We greet this day with exuberance while knowing that Christ was raised from the dead so that we may face each day’s challenges with hope and courage. All the hunger and waiting of the Lenten season now finds its response in the glad news of the Risen Christ. Have we been impatient or discouraged? Weighed down by grief or worry? Today we join with the psalmist and announce, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Prayer
O good and gracious God, I thank you for bringing me to this joyful day. In all seasons of waiting and trial, help me to trust in your presence and to place my confidence in Christ my Lord, who is stronger than any danger I can ever face. Yes, God, help me rejoice and be glad. I pray in the name of the Risen Christ. Amen.