Passage
This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter.
This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter.
Psalms 118:18 The LORD hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death.
Psalms 118:19 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD:
Psalms 118:20 This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter.
Psalms 118:21 I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.
Psalms 118:22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
The verse centers on "gate", "lord", "righteous", "shall", and "enter". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "gate" and "lord", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 19's "Open to me the gates of righteousness..." into verse 21's "I will praise thee for thou hast...", so "gate" and "lord" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "gate" and "lord" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.