“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side when people rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive when their anger was kindled against us.”
– Psalm 124:2–3
I read Psalm 124:2–3 and I just immediately think of so many things that would be said if it had not been the Lord who was on my side. I just think where I would be. In a sense, I shudder to think of where I would be if the Lord had not been kind to me, if the Lord had not been gracious to me, if the Lord did not help to me in this or that situation, if the Lord had not guarded me from going in this or that direction.
I’m just about brought to tears right now just thinking all the ways the Lord has been on my side, all the ways the Lord has worked for me, the ways the Lord has protected me, the way the Lord has cared for me, provided for me.
Psalm 124:2–3 Reminds Us God Is Our Provider
If God is for us, who can stand against us? In our gracious God we have a perfect defender, provider, and protector.
I just want to encourage you to do the same. Just think about your life. Think about your life. Where would you be without the kindness of God, without the goodness of God, how the grace of God pulling you back, maybe even right now.
As I’m saying this, I imagine there’s some who might be listening to this right now who may be wandering from God, who may be giving into temptation, who may be flirting with sin in this way or that way. God is on your side and right now, is even using this podcast episode to draw you back to warn you, “Don’t keep going in that direction.” He’s pulling you back, even right now. I just praise God for the way that he cares for us, he leads us, he pulls us back, he guards us, he guides us, he protects us in such a way that if the Lord had not been on our side, there’s no way we would’ve survived.
This Verse Leads Us to Praise God
God, we praise you. We praise you for being on our side, which we don’t deserve. God, we know that’s only possible through Jesus. It is possible through faith and trust in Jesus. He has covered over our sins, to bring us into your family. Now we know you as our father and you are our defender, our protector, our guide, our Lord, our provider. God, we say with Paul and Romans 8, “If God is for us, who can stand against us?” We have nothing to fear with you on our side.
So God, help us to stay. We pray close to you. Help us to listen to your word, to obey the promptings of your spirit and your word through your word. Help us to walk with you and to live in worship of you. Also, help us to be close to you knowing that when you are on our side, knowing we want to be on your side. For when we are on your side, you are on our side. We have nothing to fear.
God, thank you. Thank you for faithfully leading, guiding, protecting your people even when we don’t deserve it. God, we love you. And we praise you for the privilege of being on your side and you being for us on our side. All glory be to your name for that reality in Jesus, and it’s in his name that we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
