If there is one psalm that will be sung when Jesus returns, I would guess that this would be it. Because it is a song of utter praise for our salvation, that has more meaning for us than it had even for the writer.
And as we enter the New Jerusalem, I have no doubt, we will be singing,
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. (Psalm 118:1)
Why will we sing this? Because in our anguish, dying in our sin, we cried out to the Lord, and he set us free.
Not only that, he puts his hand over us each and every day. And though people may destroy our bodies, they cannot destroy our souls. So the psalmist writes,
The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? (6)
He then sings about how in God’s power he struck down the enemy. In the same way, God gives us victory over the Enemy of our souls.
So we too sing,
I was pushed back and about to fall,
but the LORD helped me.The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation…“The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!
The LORD’s right hand is lifted high;
the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!”I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the LORD has done. (13-17)
Sometimes, as the psalmist, we see the chastening hand of God in our lives. But God doesn’t chasten us to destroy us, but that we might have life.
So as we come to the gates of Jerusalem, we can say with confidence to the gatekeeper,
Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD. (19)
What is the basis for this confidence? The same basis that we have for our salvation.
The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. (22-23)
Jesus, the stone the builders rejected, has become the capstone (or cornerstone) of our salvation. Though he was rejected by the Jews, yet through his blood shed on the cross, we can know salvation.
Thus, every morning, we can face the day with new hope, singing,
This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (24)
And as the people cried out in Jerusalem when Jesus entered, so will cry out once again, “Save us! (That’s what “hosanna” means.) Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Only, when we do so, we will no longer be looking forward to our salvation but rather looking back on it. And as we do, we will sing,
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. (29)
Amen. Come quickly Lord Jesus!
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 