Psalm 118

Meditating on the Word of God is not the transcendental endeavour which most people associate with the term ‘meditation’. Joshua 1:8 states, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Meditation is something we ought to do moment by moment; connecting with heaven’s throne wherever we are, whenever we can. The Hebrew word for meditate is ‘Hagah’ which means ‘to utter, to muse, and to mutter’. Bible verses are to be mused over and repeated thoroughly and in prayer, to ourselves, over every situation, until they become a part of our lives.

Psalm 118

¹Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

²Let Israel say:
    “His love endures forever.”
³Let the house of Aaron say:
    “His love endures forever.”
⁴Let those who fear the Lord say:
    “His love endures forever.”

⁵When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;
he brought me into a spacious place.

⁶The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
⁷The Lord is with me; he is my helper.
I look in triumph on my enemies.

⁸It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in humans.
⁹It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in princes.
¹⁰All the nations surrounded me,
    but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
¹¹They surrounded me on every side,
    but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
¹²They swarmed around me like bees,
    but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;
    in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
¹³I was pushed back and about to fall,
    but the Lord helped me.
¹⁴The Lord is my strength and my defence;
    he has become my salvation.

¹⁵Shouts of joy and victory
    resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!
¹⁶    The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
    the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
¹⁷I will not die but live,
    and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
¹⁸The Lord has chastened me severely,
    but he has not given me over to death.
¹⁹Open for me the gates of the righteous;
    I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰This is the gate of the Lord
    through which the righteous may enter.
²¹I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
    you have become my salvation.

²²The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
²³the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvellous in our eyes.
²⁴The Lord has done it this very day;
    let us rejoice today and be glad.

²⁵Lord, save us!
Lord, grant us success!

²⁶Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.
²⁷The Lord is God,
    and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
    up to the horns of the altar.