READ Psalm 118:19–29. 19 Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD. 20 This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter. 21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. 22 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 23 the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. 25 LORD, save us! LORD, grant us success! 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. 27 The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God, and I will give praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. 29 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
OPEN THE GATES. The nation’s leaders rejected the psalmist as builders discard a useless stone. But God made him a cornerstone (verse 22). When he came to the temple’s gates, where only the righteous might pass (verses 19–20), he was welcomed up to the horns of the altar (verse 27).123 Later Jesus came to Jerusalem to the shouts of Psalm 118:26: “Blessed is he who comes.” He too was rejected by the leaders and went to the altar, but as a sacrifice for sin (Isaiah 53:10; Hebrews 9:12), making us righteous so we can go in to God (Hebrews 10:22). When we pray, the “gates of the righteous” are opened. Through his sacrifice we have access to the Father by the Spirit (Ephesians 2:18).
Prayer: Lord, I praise you that your Son willingly paid a terrible price in order for me to gain access to you in prayer. If he was willing to come all the way from heaven to earth to do that, can I not rouse myself a bit earlier every morning to use this blood-bought gift? Lord, make me a person of prayer. Amen.