Psalm 118:1 – O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.
There are days when we despair of life. It seems useless to keep trying. We continue to fail. The shame seems endless. We feel like the Lord has surely run out of mercy for us.
Five times in this chapter the Psalmist reminds us: “his mercy endureth for ever.”
Look, life is full of mistakes…and failure…and bad choices. It can feel hopeless. But do you realize that the secret to escaping the despair is found in this chapter?
Notice these steps the Psalmist took when he was “in distress” (verse 5):
- Recognize that the Lord is good. And believe that His mercy never ends. (verse 1)
- Call out to the Lord for deliverance. (verse 5)
- Don’t be fearful of those around you, because the Lord is on your side. (verse 6)
- Put your trust and faith in what the Lord can do. (verses 7-13)
- Praise the Lord for what He has done and is going to do in the future. (verses 14-18)
- Obey the Lord and do right as soon as you’re given the next opportunity. (verses 19-24)
- Trust the Lord for deliverance. (verses 25-28)
Verse 27 is particularly interesting to me: “God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.”
I believe it refers back to Genesis 22:7-13, when Abraham took Isaac up to sacrifice him to the Lord. This is the only other verse I have found that mentions a sacrifice being bound with cords to the altar.
It’s as if the Psalmist is likening his willing heart of praise to the Lord as a sacrifice like Isaac. He was willing to bind himself to the altar for his God. And he follows with this:
“Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.” (verse 28)
It seems to be a recurring thought that our praise requires sacrifice. Sometimes that is most sharply felt when we offer up thanksgiving in the midst of our defeat and distress. But this was the key to the Psalmist’s victory and confidence.
I encourage you to follow these steps with the Psalmist to thank your way out of distress and into thanksgiving!
Obtaining Mercy 