“If the LORD had not been on our side when men attacked us, when their anger flared against us, they would have swallowed us alive; the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away.”
Psalm 124:2-5
We live in a society where independence is king. Self-sufficiency is everyone’s goal and no one wants to be dependent on someone else. I can’t blame them. People can be unreliable. When you have to depend on someone for your livelihood, it can be stressful. It’s scary not to be in control.
The issue with this self-sufficiency obsessed culture is that we’ve come to rely so much on ourselves that we have trouble trusting God. These verses from the book of Psalms show the danger of this problem. The psalmist writes about all the terrible things that would’ve happened if the Lord was not on their side. The language is vivid. The attackers would’ve swallowed us alive, the flood would’ve engulfed us, the torrent would’ve swept over us, the raging waters would’ve swept us away.
This is life if the Lord is not on your side.
So what does it mean to have the Lord on your side? Well, if we look at the example of the Israelites, it seems to mean a full reliance on God. It’s not simply that God is a member of your team. God is your team. Look at the example of Gideon’s army. God instructed him to send more and more of his soldiers home until he had a paltry group of men compared to his enemies. Still, the Lord delivered them the victory. That’s not because the few men remaining were superhuman or extra strong warriors, it’s because God won the battle for them.
Loosen the grip you have on controlling your life. Learn to trust God, not just to be on your team, but to fight the battle for you while trust, wait, and be still. When God is on your side, the victory is yours. When God is fighting for you, no one will overtake you. When he’s not, well the psalmist makes that pretty clear.
Who do you want in control? Yourself, or God?
Prayer:
Father,
I pray that you will always be on my side. I pray that you will help me give up control and trust you to deliver me through all of the trials of life. Most of all, I place my salvation in your hands, I know that you alone are good and holy and you alone can make me worthy.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
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