Bible Readings: Psalm
The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes. (118:22-23)
Jesus is "'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.' Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:11)
In Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," (1 Peter 2:6-7)
A Thought
The verses above from Psalm 118 are much quoted. The prophets Isaiah and Zechariah do so in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament they are quoted by Jesus in a parable and later by both Peter and Paul. It is also said that the second line was quoted in 1558 by the then Princess Elizabeth when she learned that she was now Queen of England, except that she quoted it in Latin!
The first line of the quote from Psalm 118 is seen by the other biblical writers as a prophetic reference to Jesus, rejected by his own people, only to become the cornerstone of our salvation and the foundation stone, of the early church.
Like the rock on which the wise man built his house, Jesus is the cornerstone on which we can stand firm through the storm; there is no other.
What storms are you facing at the moment? What around you is shaking? Whatever uncertainties we face, they will pass, and if we have Jesus as our cornerstone we can face them with confidence and with hope. Then we will say with the future Elizabeth 1, but in English, ‘The Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes.’
A Prayer
Lord Jesus, in the storms of life, when the things I rely on are shaking, I thank you that you are my cornerstone and that I can stand firm in the knowledge that you will bring me safely through.
Amen.
Christ alone, Cornerstone
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