Psalm 124
The Prayer of What-Ifs!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, August 25.
Have you ever found yourself stuck in the rut of asking, “What-if?” Life is full of what-ifs, but we need not be paralyzed by the indecisiveness that can come from not knowing what will happen or how other people will react. The Bible uses if-statements in a different way – to pointedly declare God’s sufficiency! A classic example of this is found in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who is against us?” Psalm 124:1-5 is a psalm of corporate thanksgiving that begins with the proclamations of their faith:
“Had [If] it not been the Lord who was on our side,” Let Israel now say, “Had [If] it not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us alive, when their anger was kindled against us; then the waters would have engulfed us, the stream would have swept over our soul; then the raging waters would have swept over our soul.”
Most translations begin the first two verses with “if” instead of “had,” emphasizing the abruptness of the poetry and hinting to the conclusion in verse 8, “Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” In other words, if the God who created all things is for us, who can stand against us?
Here’s the good news – God is for you! You don’t have to what-if God’s desire to rescue you from your sin and make you His own. Peter, a man who personally learned of God’s grace, stated in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
Seize the moment and pray Psalm 124, meditating upon the favor of God – He is for you! Trust God in all your ways today (Proverbs 3:5-6).
God bless you!
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YOUTUBE:
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