July 2 is halfway through 2020. And what a year so far!
Psalm 118, a Hallel Psalm, is halfway through the Bible, right between the longest (Psalm 119) and the shortest (Psalm 117) chapters. Maybe at this halfway point, we should take a look at that halfway point.
(NOTE: I edited this Psalm for length. Read it all here.)
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Psalm 118 Contemporary English Version
Tell the Lord how thankful you are, because he is kind and always merciful.
4 Let every true worshiper of the Lord shout, “God is always merciful!”
5 When I was really hurting, I prayed to the Lord.
He answered my prayer, and took my worries away.
6 The Lord is on my side, and I am not afraid of what others can do to me.
7 With the Lord on my side, I will defeat all of my hateful enemies.
8 It is better to trust the Lord for protection than to trust anyone else,
9 including strong leaders.
14 My power and my strength come from the Lord, and he has saved me.
15 From the tents of God’s people come shouts of victory:
“The Lord is powerful!
16 With his mighty arm the Lord wins victories!
The Lord is powerful!”
17 And so my life is safe, and I will live to tell what the Lord has done.
18 He punished me terribly, but he did not let death lay its hands on me.
21 I praise the Lord for answering my prayers and saving me.
22 The stone that the builders tossed aside has now become
the most important stone.
23 The Lord has done this, and it is amazing to us.
[Jesus applies this to Himself.]
24 This day belongs to the Lord. Let’s celebrate and be glad today.
[“This is the day which the Lord hath made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.” KJV]
25 We’ll ask the Lord to save us! We’ll sincerely ask the Lord to let us win.
26 God bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
We praise you from here in the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is our God, and he has given us light!
Start the celebration! March with palm branches all the way to the altar.
28 The Lord is my God! I will praise him and tell him how thankful I am.
29 Tell the Lord how thankful you are, because he is kind and always merciful.
[Verses 29 and 1 are the same.]
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According to this Psalm, God is:
*Kind *Merciful *On our side *Trustworthy
*Our Savior *Powerful *Victorious *Amazing *Praiseworthy *Our Light
And we are:
*Prayerful *Thankful *Worshipful *Unafraid *Protected
*Strengthened *Saved and safe *Victorious *Heard by God
*Amazed *People full of celebrate and praise
So with all that in mind, let’s go confidently into the rest of 2020.