Psalm 118:19–29 // Entering with trust and praise // Joe Valenti
At the center of this section of Scripture is verse 22 – “the stone that the builders rejected has no become the cornerstone.” What was once thrown to the side and seemingly unusable has now become the most important stone in the lot. This is an interesting turn of phrase and unless I’m thinking incorrectly, there are only two options for what happened here. Option #1 is that there was a problem with the stone that was miraculously fixed. The stone, initially, was unusable, unhelpful, the wrong shape or size or type. And for one or many of these reasons the builders toss it to the side, rejecting it from use. Option #2 is that the builders were seeing the stone incorrectly. What they initially judged as useless was, indeed very useful, they just didn’t see it as such.
This statement is not just about rocks and foundations, but is a prophetic reference to Jesus. In fact, Jesus quotes Psalm 118 to describe why the Jews want to kill him. It’s not because there is something wrong with him (the stone), but there is a problem in their perception. The religious leaders are not rejecting Him because He is flawed, insufficient, or unworthy. They are rejecting Him because He does not fit their assumptions about power, holiness, and success. They are looking for a Messiah who confirms their categories, not one who confronts them.
Lent invites us to consider whether we might be capable of the same kind of misperception. I don’t know about you, but I carry expectations about how God should work, where He should show up. We are often very good at recognizing God when He aligns with our preferences and surprisingly quick to overlook Him when He does not.
What if part of making room during Lent is allowing God to correct our vision?
Seeing Jesus rightly changes everything. Worship follows perception. Trust grows where clarity emerges. And transformation begins not when Jesus becomes something new, but when we finally see Him as He truly is.
Lent gives us space to slow down enough to ask whether we have been misreading the stone—whether the cornerstone has been present all along, waiting not to be fixed, but to be recognized.
Question to Consider
What might God be inviting you to see differently in this season?
Prayer Prompt
Thank God for His faithfulness, even in places that feel unresolved. Ask Him to help you trust His work in ways you may not yet understand.
