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Psalms 118
1Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.
2Let Israel now say that his loving kindness endures forever.
3Let the house of Aaron now say that his loving kindness endures forever.
4Now let those who fear the LORD say that his loving kindness endures forever.
5Out of my distress, I called on the LORD. The LORD answered me with freedom.
6The LORD is on my side. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
7The LORD is on my side among those who help me. Therefore I will look in triumph at those who hate me.
8It is better to take refuge in the LORD, than to put confidence in man.
9It is better to take refuge in the LORD, than to put confidence in princes.
10All the nations surrounded me, but in the LORD’s name I cut them off.
11They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me. In the LORD’s name I indeed cut them off.
12They surrounded me like bees. They are quenched like the burning thorns. In the LORD’s name I cut them off.
13You pushed me back hard, to make me fall, but the LORD helped me.
14The LORD is my strength and song. He has become my .
15The voice of rejoicing and is in the tents of the . “The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
16The right hand of the LORD is exalted! The right hand of the LORD does valiantly!”
17I will not die, but live, and declare the LORD’s works.
18The LORD has punished me severely, but he has not given me over to death.
19Open to me the gates of . I will enter into them. I will give thanks to the LORD.
20This is the gate of the LORD; the will enter into it.
21I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me, and have become my .
22The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
23This is the LORD’s doing. It is marvelous in our eyes.
24This is the day that the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!
25 now, we beg you, LORD! LORD, we beg you, send prosperity now.
26Blessed is he who comes in the LORD’s name! We have blessed you out of the LORD’s house.
27The LORD is God, and he has given us light. Bind the with cords, even to the horns of the altar.
28You are my God, and I will give thanks to you. You are my God, I will exalt you.
29Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.
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Questions this passage answers
Who is God?
God is the one living Creator who made everything and depends on nothing, and Scripture answers this question mainly by telling us his character rather than by defining his substance. When God described himself to Moses he said he is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abundant in loving kindness and truth, and yet will by no means clear the guilty. The New Testament adds that this God is finally known in Jesus Christ, who has made him known.
Who wrote the Bible?
The Bible was written by many human authors over a long period, and Scripture presents itself as God-breathed rather than as human opinion. Some books name their writer, some do not, and honest study says which is which. Paul calls every Scripture God-breathed, and Peter says no prophecy came by the will of man but that people spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, which is the Bible's own account of how both authors are involved at once.
Can the Bible be trusted?
Scripture claims to be true and invites examination rather than avoiding it. It says God's word is truth and that it stands when everything else fades, and the New Testament writers appeal to eyewitnesses, named places and public events rather than to private experience. Trust in Scripture is finally trust in the God who speaks in it, and the clearest reason a Christian gives for that trust is that Jesus treated these writings as God's own word.
How should I pray?
When the disciples asked this, Jesus answered with a pattern rather than a technique. Pray to your Father, in private, without performance and without needing many words, because he already knows what you need. The prayer he gave begins with God's name, kingdom and will, then asks for bread, forgiveness and protection. Scripture adds that we may bring everything, that the Spirit helps our weakness, and that we can ask with confidence when we ask according to God's will.