If God Had Not Been on Our Side

 

 

 

[Psalm 124]

 

 

What do you think of when you look back on the past? Often, when we reflect on the past, we find ourselves thinking, "Those were good times..." and longing for the past. This sense of nostalgia seems to intensify, especially when we are in difficult or challenging situations. If we were living in peace now, what thoughts would arise when we look back? Would we remember and thank God for the grace He gave us during our times of suffering? If we can remember the abundant grace God has shown us in the past, we can look to His help even in the midst of our present troubles and suffering. However, too often we forget the abundant grace God has already shown us. As a result, we find ourselves unable to look to the Lord for help in the midst of the challenges we face and unable to escape those difficult circumstances. After some time, we may remember the grace God showed us in the past, and once again, we look to the Lord, fall on our knees, and cry out. We go back to the Lord's house, with a heart that longs for His grace, and ask for His help. And in prayer, we humbly wait in faith, believing that God will deliver us from the painful circumstances we are facing, quickly and for His glory.

After experiencing God's saving grace, we should stop and think: "What if God had not shown me His grace at that time? Where would I be now?" Or, "What if God had not helped me then? What would have happened to me?"

Today, in Psalm 124:1-2, the psalmist encourages the people of Israel to ask themselves this very question as they ascend to the temple. The question is: "If the Lord had not been on our side..." The psalmist urges the people to remember the grace of God when Israel suffered unjust oppression in the past. We often fail to recognize God's help when we are in danger, and we are ungrateful. I believe this ungratefulness comes from our tendency to forget so quickly the abundant grace that God has already provided. Of course, when we are rescued in times of difficulty, we think, "God has answered my prayer," and we give thanks. But the problem is that our gratitude doesn’t last long. Instead of continuing to live with a grateful heart, when new difficulties arise, we are more focused on escaping those tough circumstances than on giving thanks to God. In the midst of these challenges, we often fail to expect God's grace with faith.

It is to this end that the psalmist today gives us an exhortation. Not only to the people of Israel but to each of us, he asks the same question: "If the Lord had not been on our side..." If God had not been with Israel in times of peril, that is, if God had not been on their side when their enemies rose up against them (v. 2), what would have happened? The psalmist explains in verses 3-5:

"Then they would have swallowed us alive, when their anger was kindled against us; then the waters would have overwhelmed us, the stream would have gone over our soul; then the swollen waters would have gone over our soul."

Here, the psalmist describes how, if God had not been with Israel, they would have been completely overcome. The imagery of "swallowing us alive" and "overwhelming us with water" speaks of a situation where there was no escape from extreme distress, a helpless position where only God’s intervention could save them.

These words show the situation of Israel in extreme distress, when they felt their helplessness and cried out to God. The psalmist is reminding them to remember that it was only because God was with them, and heard their cry, that they were rescued from the brink of destruction.