Psalm 124

God is On Our Side

 

Biblical scholars believe David penned this psalm upon occasion of some great deliverance which God wrought for him and for His people.  In verses 1-5 it appears the people of God were close to the brink of ruin. 

 

If it had not been the Lord who was on our side . . .
then the waters would have overwhelmed us.
~ Ps. 124

The descriptions the psalmist uses indicate complete helplessness . . . being overwhelmed by flood waters, a creature in the very jaws of a beast of prey, a helpless bird.  David directs us to depend upon God for help for all our personal concerns. 

The opening verses of this psalm remind me of one of my favorite quotes by Abraham Lincoln:

Once during the Civil War, a pious minister asked Lincoln if he believed God was on on "our side." Lincoln responded:

"I know that God is always on the side of the right. It is my constant prayer and anxiety that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side." 

Amen!

WHAT CAN I LEARN ABOUT GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• The Lord is on my side!
• My help is in God's name and no other

HOW CAN I PRAISE GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• I praise God for His deliverance - that He is on my side!

PRAYER:

        O Lord, if You had not been on my side, I know that my ruin would have been sure - much like the images described by David in this Psalm.  How I bless You that that the waters have not overwhelmed me, that the stream has not gone over my soul . . . How I bless You, Heavenly Father, that my help is in Your name and no other.  You who made the heavens and the earth, You who flung universes into existence, are perfectly capable of holding me.  May I feel Your grasp on all the circumstances in my life, and rest Your sovereignty.  You know my weakness and my frailty . . . Thank You, O Lord, that You are on my side!  In Jesus' name I pray ~ Amen