Please read Psalm 118 (29 verses)

Five times the psalmist reminds us that the love of God is forever. God loves His people to the end, even to the death of His own dear son. He loves families and prospers them and those who fear Him are always blessed.

We rehearse the triumph we have experienced because of the mercy of the Lord, for our hope is not in human beings, but in the Lord of hosts. He delivers us from all our fears and brings us into a wide and spacious place where we have peace of mind, even though turmoil may be going on around us. We can take refuge in the Lord and do not put our hope in the leaders of our age. We face our enemies with fortitude and courage knowing we can overcome them and the fear of them. This is not necessarily people, but the ideas we have in our minds which oppress us so badly. We can face them and push them back with the strength of the Word of God on our lips. Even though the fight may be close and the enemy infiltrates the citadel of our mind, we can be victorious through the victory purchased for us by Christ. The Lord becomes our salvation and we see that same salvation carried out throughout our Christian experience. We are taught to trust and find God to be trustworthy. This is a privilege to learn how to fight evil in this way and brings us close to God like nothing else. Grappling with inner conflict causes us to seek God and the refuge of His Word.

Though we are troubled severely and brought low, we rejoice at our victories and thank God for His daily deliverance. We recognise God’s hand in the situations of our conquests and give Him the glory for them. The salvation of God is the way into this deliverance, for we must bow our knees to Him if we are to experience that full deliverance. Though we may be rejected, as Jesus was, we rejoice to belong to Him, because He is now the uplifted one in glory and so also will we be. We give total praise to Him and join with others who rejoice to know Him too. One day it will be so glorious when the kingdom fully comes and all the people of God are complete.

We thank the Lord for He is good and His mercy endures forever.