Monday, September 26: Psalm 124- the Lord is on our side.

I imagine myself marching up the hill toward Jerusalem, throngs of others before, behind and alongside of me. Such would be the sight as pilgrims come to Jerusalem for one of the three mandated pilgrim feasts in Jerusalem. As they climb the hills they sing the songs of ascent. I hear the crowd being spurred by a voice…

If the LORD had not been on our side— let Israel say— (1)

And all the surrounding people crying out in joy

if the LORD had not been on our side when people attacked us, they would have swallowed us alive when their anger flared against us… (2-3);

Continuing through the Psalm they crescendo with the closing verse (8)

Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

What an amazing chorus of praise. What an encouragement to the soul. What a reminder of God’s goodness and greatness!

What a wonderful gift this Psalm is… for my praising of the Lord.

If the LORD had not been on our side…

·         The church would not have prevailed in those early days of fear or those decades of persecution.

·         Babies might still die on the hills of Greece; gladiatorial fights might still be entertainment in Europe

·         The books of the church and western civilization would not have been preserved in the monasteries of Europe.

·         The church would not have been steered back to orthodoxy through the likes of Luther and Calvin

If the LORD had not been on my side…

·         I might not have completed my MS thesis

·         My life might have crumbled when I way laid off in 2001

·         Those auto accidents I have been in might have been far worse

But the Lord was my our side and so I rejoice and give praise and honor to the Lord God Almighty…

Our help (my help) is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.