A Fearful Saint Finds A Psalm

Psalm 118:19-29

19Open for me the gates where the righteous enter,

and I will go in and thank the LORD.

20Those gates lead to the presence of the LORD,

and the godly enter there.

21I thank you for answering my prayer

and saving me!

22The stone rejected by the builders

has now become the cornerstone.

23This is the LORD’s doing,

and it is marvelous to see.

24This is the day the LORD has made.

We will rejoice and be glad in it.

25Please, LORD, please save us.

Please, LORD, please give us success.

26Bless the one who comes in the name of the LORD.

We bless you from the house of the LORD.

27The LORD is God, shining upon us.

Bring forward the sacrifice and put it on the altar.

28You are my God, and I will praise you!

You are my God, and I will exalt you!

29Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

To students of English literature, William Cowper is a brilliant eighteenth-century poet. To church musicians, he is the author of hymns like “There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood” and “O for a Closer Walk with God.”

But those who were close to him knew Cowper was a very troubled young man. Three times he attempted suicide; twice he was pronounced insane; and if it weren’t for Christian friends and for Psalm 118, he probably wouldn’t have written anything.

A delicate child, Cowper was bullied and beaten by an older boy, but as a lad, Cowper found comfort in Psalm 118:6. After a bout with insanity during his twenties, he was strengthened by the fourteenth and eighteenth verses of this psalm.

For several years Cowper found a happy companionship with John Newton, the former slave trader turned pastor. They enjoyed walking, joking, and writing hymns together. For a while they tried to write a hymn every week. When he was feeling stable, Cowper rejoiced in the twenty-ninth verse: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!”

The friendship of these two men enriched the church with hymns like Newton’s “Amazing Grace” and Cowper’s “God Moves in a Mysterious Way.” In the words of verse 23: “This [was] the Lord’s doing, and it [was] marvelous to see.”

You fearful saints, fresh courage take,

The clouds you so much dread

Are big with mercy, and shall break

In blessings on your head.

WILLIAM COWPER

A Word on Words

“Save us” in verse 25 is hoshi’ah na in Hebrew, or hosanna as it’s transliterated into Greek. It became a phrase of praise, but it’s rooted in this plea for help. (Whom would you ask for help? Someone strong enough to help you!) The annual Festival of Shelters used this psalm—and this word—prominently. The seventh day of the festival was known as the Great Hosanna, during which palm branches would be waved. Those branches were also called hosannas.

Bible Networking

The New Testament quotes several verses in this section and finds them fulfilled in Jesus Christ. But note in particular the references to Jesus as the cornerstone: Matthew 21:42; Ephesians 2:20; and 1 Peter 2:7.