Key scripture – “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man” (Psalm 118:8).

Did you know that before Jesus went to the cross he used Psalm 118 to comfort himself?

At the last supper Jesus and his disciples’s were celebrating a traditional Passover meal. At Passover, Jewish families would eat a meal and celebrate how God had brought them out of slavery. After Jesus and the disciples ate, they sang a song at the last supper? Matthew 26:30 says “after singing a hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives.” Do you know what song they sang? It was Psalm 118. At Passover, the songs that are traditionally sung are Psalms 113 through 118, and they sing them at different parts of the meal. Psalm 118 is the last psalm, therefore, most theologians believe this is the last song Jesus sang before He went to the cross.

Just like Jesus, this is a song that we can sing to ourself in our times of suffering. Think about that, as Jesus was moving toward the cross where He would be beaten, humiliated, and suffer for us, He used the Psalms to comfort Himself, and we need to do the same.

When they sing these Psalms during Passover the way they sing them is the worship leader, which would’ve been Jesus, would sing a verse and then the disciples would sing the same verse back to Him. I find it to be so comforting to picture Jesus singing this Psalm and then the disciples singing it back to him.

Psalm 118 was written by king David when he was on the run from Saul. What was written by David when he was in distress is full of precious promises that are also true for you and me.

In Verses five and six David said, “From my distress I called upon the Lord; The Lord answered me and set me in a large place.
The Lord is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:5-6). David is is being hard pressed on every side, but he knows that no matter how he feels and no matter what it looks like around him, the Lord is with him.

When you are hard pressed by distress, and your enemy is surrounding you and pressing in on you, when you feel like the breath is being squeezed out of you, like David and all the others before you, cry out to the Lord, because the Lord hears you, He does not ignore you, and He always saves you from all your troubles. (Psalm 34:4-6).

Just like David said in Psalm 118, the Lord will bring you into a large place, out of your distress and despair, so that you’re suffering will no longer feel like it is squeezing in on you from all sides. When you cry out to The Lord, He opens up everything so that the walls are no longer closing in around you. When you can’t breathe and you feel like the whole world is surrounding you, He will open up that spacious place just for you and you will not be moved. In that spacious place, you will not be afraid. In that spacious place, mere mortals can do nothing to you, because the Lord is there with you and He is protecting you. You will be able to say, “You [my enemy] pushed me violently so that I was falling, But the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation” (Psalm 118:13-14).

In Verses 17 and 20 when Jesus sang, “I will not die, but live, and declare the works and recount the illustrious acts of the Lord… This is the gate of the Lord; The righteous will enter through it.” He was singing about Himself. He knew what He was about to do, give up His life to die on the cross for our sins, but He knows that the Lord is not done, because Jesus would rise from the dead in three days and live forever, and He is the gate that we enter through.

Verse 22 also speaks directly about Jesus “the stone, which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone”. So Jesus the cornerstone was singing about the cornerstone, and the disciples were sing back to Jesus, about Him being the cornerstone. This is a verse for anyone who feels rejected. If you’ve been rejected you need to remember Jesus was also rejected by man, but selected by God, and He built something great on that cornerstone, and He will do the same with you. God will build something great with you. When you are feeling left out and rejected by man you have to remember, God has not rejected you or forgotten you.

When you are suffering you need to do like Jesus did, and go to the Psalms to comfort you. Go to Psalm 118 and take in the refreshment that’s provided for you in this Psalm. Get alone with God and sing Psalm 118, think about what it is saying to you, and picture Jesus singing it back to you.

Pray this – Our Precious Heavenly Father, No matter how violent my enemy gets, I will not fear because You are with me and You are for me, so what can man do to me, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!! When I am pushed to the wall, I call to God; from the wide open spaces, He answers me. God ’s now at my side and I’m not afraid; who would dare lay a hand on me? God is my strong champion; I flick off my enemies like flies. It is far better to take refuge in God than trust in people; Far better to take refuge in God than trust in the government. When I am hemmed in by my enemy, in God ’s name I will defeat them; when I am hemmed in and with no way out, in God ’s name I will be victorious; Like swarming bees, like wild prairie fire, my enemies tried to hem me in, but in God’s name I defeated them. I was right on the cliff-edge, ready to fall, when God grabbed and held me. God is my strength, He is also my song, and now He’s my salvation. Hear the shouts, hear the triumph songs in the camp of the saved. The hand of God has turned the tide! The hand of God is raised in victory! The hand of God has turned the tide! The Lord helps me. The Lord is my strength. The Lord is my song. The Lord is my salvation. I declare the works and recount the illustrious acts of the Lord. You are my God, and I give thanks to You; You are my God, I extol You. O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness endures forever. (Psalm 118:5,13-14, 17, 28-29). In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.