IF
PSALM 124:1-3
PSALM 124:1-3
1 "If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,"
Let Israel now say—
2 "If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
When men rose up against us,
3 Then they would have swallowed us alive,
When their wrath was kindled against us;
OBSERVATION:
There was an old axiom that said, if if's and buts were candy and nuts, then we'd all have a Merry Christmas.
Obviously, this axiom came from a time in our nation when candy and nuts were a Christmas treat. So, we are talking 50-plus years ago.
But the premise was based on not saying if. If only this or if only that.
However, this is exactly what this psalm is saying. If it wasn't for the Lord, we would have been toast. That's the 2022 version.
But it's not just the Lord, but rather the fact that the Lord was on our side. That's the difference maker. The Lord was not simply present, but He was on our side, helping us overcome odds we could not have handled on our own.
APPLICATION:
There are some great truths we can take from this passage and make them more than poetry; we can make them our own.
If God is for me, who can be against me? (Romans 8:31) I took this verse and made it applicable to my life. Not just God for us, but God is for me, which sounds a lot like God is on my side.
When we used to pick teams playing neighborhood ball, the players picked would come stand with the team captain who picked them. God picked us in Christ, so He is standing with us. We are on the same side.
Let Israel now say declares the psalmist. Paul, in Romans 8:31, declares, what shall we say to these things? We have something to say about God being on our side and God being for us.
So instead of saying or speaking our doubts and worries, we can say, If God is for me, who can be against me. God is helping me.
And also, looking back, we can say if it had not been for the Lord helping me, I would not have made it through _____; fill in the blank with areas the Lord helped you.
Isn't it great to know God is on our side? Isn't it smart to stay close to Him and always be on His side? If it wasn't for the Lord, so many of us could say. If it wasn't for the Lord, I would be lost, broken, helpless, and despondent. But the Lord was on my side.
PRAYER:
Thank You Lord! If it wasn't for You I would be lost. If it wasn’t for You I would still be in my sins. But because You are on my side my life, future and my eternity are totally different and better!