Rejoice!

Psalm 118.24

Rejoicing in the Lord comes naturally when life is good. Saying, singing, and, more importantly believing, that God is good is much easier when life is going smoothly. But, when difficulty, discouragement, dishonor, and even death, comes our way, giving thanks to God, trusting in His goodness, and rejoicing in Him becomes a decision.

Regardless of how he felt and how others treated him, the writer of Psalm 118 relied on the Lord as his strength and his source of joy, and He had saved him.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever” (Psalm 118:1).

If you’ve ever watched a stone mason building a wall, laying bricks on a home, or constructing a stone building, he discards many stones because they do not fit or were broken. The author of this Psalm seems to have been comparing himself to a stone that the builders (his adversaries) had tossed aside as useless:

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the capstone” (Psalm 118:22).

Although he felt discarded like one of these stones, he trusted that God would restore him to usefulness and give him a position of prominence in God’s work. Only God could have done this: The day of his restoration was obviously one God had brought to pass.

This came from the Lord; it is wonderful in our eyes. Psalm 118:23

Consequently the writer called on everyone to rejoice with him in it.

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)

Resurrection Stone
There are many New Testament references to the rejected capstone of verse 22. Facing rejection and death, the Lord Jesus applied it to Himself (Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10–11; Luke 20:17). Peter and Paul also applied it to Jesus (Acts 4:11; Ephesians. 2:20; 1 Peter 2:7). God’s amazing resurrection of His rejected Son to the place of supreme universal authority is remarkable to say the least. The day of His resurrection is the greatest day the Lord ever made. It is indeed the basis for our greatest joy. Especially on days when we feel discouraged and dejected, we can rejoice.

Let’s rejoice in the Lord for what He has done through Jesus (Philippians 3:1) and the power of His resurrection (Philippians 3:10-11). Let’s rejoice as we wait on Him during days of despair. Let’s rejoice as we trust in Him.