 I’m excited to share with you a beautiful connection between Psalm 118 and Jesus Christ.
Jesus and His disciples were eating a Passover meal together. We call it the Last Supper. After partaking of bread and wine, the Bible briefly mentions the hymn Jesus sang with His disciples. “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives” (Mark 14:26 ESV). What were they singing on such an occasion? Well, that’s where Psalm 118 comes into play.  We all know what it’s like to forget something. Maybe it’s a bag of chips at the grocery store, a daily dosage of medicine, or a flush of the toilet. And don’t forget the name of so-and-so down the street. In fact, that reminds me.
A couple of weeks ago, I was completing some field experience hours for my Elementary Education degree. It was only my second time at the placement. And since I go once a week, I hadn’t been there for several days. In other words, I didn’t remember the names of very many kids. That’s when a young boy approached me with excitement in his eyes and said, “Hey Isaiah!”  In Psalm 73, the author contemplates whether or not he should be like those who disobey God. After all, he writes, “For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind” (v. 3-5 ESV).
The psalmist finds himself examining the lives of the ungodly. And what an easier life it seems to be. One in which the ways of God are rejected. The desires of the flesh fulfilled. The riches of the world consumed. In fact, the psalmist continues, “Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence” (v. 12-13 ESV).  Hey there! Are you still in the waiting room? If so, I have good news. This week, I’m continuing my “In the waiting room” series on John 11:1-44. I’m studying three reasons why God keeps you waiting. Allow me to share them with you.
First, God is glorified through your waiting. Remember, this series comes from the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead. It begins like this: “Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ But when Jesus heard it he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was” (John 11:1-6 ESV). |