Psalm 118.

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever. Let all Israel repeat: 'His faithful love endures forever.' Let all Aaron's descendants, the priests, repeat: 'His faithful love endures forever.' Let all who fear the LORD repeat: 'His faithful love endures forever.'" --verses 1-4.

Did you catch that? It wasn't exactly subtle. Paul says many times in his letters that we are to give thanks in all circumstances. ALL circumstances. That means when you are exhausted, or burnt out, or aggravated, or upset, or stressed out. God never ever fails...and since God is love, love never fails either. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that. 1 John 4 says that perfect love drives out fear, so we should never doubt the depth of God's love for us...even in the toughest times. We should, instead, give thanks and proclaim that His faithful love endures forever.

"In my distress I prayed to the LORD, and the LORD answered me and set me free. The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? Yes, the LORD is for me; He will help me. I will look in triumph at those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in people. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes." --verses 5-9.

Can I just "amen" that?! All of it. God is faithful to answer when His children cry out to Him for help. He is their help. And He is the only hope we have for overcoming the sin that so easily entangles, as mentioned in Hebrews 12. We are only temporary citizens of this world, so the world has no power over us...therefore, nothing in or of the world can ever touch us. When we look in triumph over those who hate us, I think it means in the past, present, and future...we look back at the battles that the LORD has already fought for us, we endure persecution in the present because we know that our help comes from the LORD, and we look to the future knowing that He will conquer all those who profane His glory and His name. People fail. It's a proven fact. So put all of your trust in the LORD...He will never leave you...He will provide you with people whom you can trust in this world, once you realize that He is the source of all.

"Though hostile nations surrounded me, I destroyed them all with the authority of the LORD. Yes, they surrounded and attacked me, but I destroyed them all with the authority of the LORD. They swarmed around me like bees; they blazed against me like a crackling fire. But I destroyed them all with the authority of the LORD. My enemies did their best to kill me, but the LORD rescued me." --verses 10-13.

I see a recurring theme here: "with the authority of the LORD." The New King James says: "in the name of the LORD, I will destroy them." This just goes back to the fact that when the LORD is on our side, we can defeat any army. And these enemies that the psalmist is talking about have all received their ultimate animosity from the Enemy...you know, the angel who thought that he should have just as much authority as God...and we already know that he will be demolished in the end.

"The LORD is my strength and my song; He has given me victory. Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly. The strong right arm of the LORD has done glorious things! The strong right arm of the LORD is raised in triumph. The strong right arm of the LORD has done glorious things! I will not die; instead, I will live to tell what the LORD has done. The LORD has punished me severely, but He did not let me die." --verses 14-18.

And yet another recurring phrase...have you ever noticed how things are repeated three times for emphasis? Point proven...the strong right arm of the LORD has done glorious things! And living to tell what the LORD has done is essentially what we are called to do every moment of every day of our lives.

"Open for me the gates where the righteous enter, and I will go in and thank the LORD. These gates lead to the presence of the LORD, and the godly enter there. I thank you for answering my prayer and giving me victory!" --verses 19-21.

In the Old Testament, God was only accessible to the Israelites through an intermediary, or priest...but now, because of the New Covenant in Christ's blood, He has become the Great High Priest and given us open communication channels to God. He is both the atoner and the atonement.

"The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the LORD's doing, and it is wonderful to see. This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Please, LORD, please save us. Please, LORD, please give us success. Bless the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the house of the LORD. The LORD is God, shining upon us. Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords to the altar. You are my God, and I will praise you! You are my God, and I will exalt you! Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever." --verses 22-29.

I've almost run out of things to say and different ways to communicate the fact that God is good and His love is unfailing. So...listen. God knew you before you were thought of, created you, cares for you, is concerned with every detail of your life, and will never ever leave you. End of story. But, that's not really the end.