Monday, January 31, 2022

The Lord is on my Side?

Psalms 118:5-7 
Out of my distress I called on the LORD;
the LORD answered me and set me free.
The LORD is on my side; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
The LORD is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.

I really identify with the first verse here. I do cry out to the Lord in my distress, but most of my distress is more internal than external. Therefore, the second verse it a little harder for me to say, because I don't think in terms of "my side" or of God being my helper. Instead, I think in terms of whether I am on God's side (think of the angelic warrior from Joshua 5). But this passage is here, so I need to deal with the reality of it.

I don't want to think of this like normal times when I am having a dispute over preferences or playing a ballgame against the rival school. Rather, at times people are legitimately facing injustice and are crying out to God for help. In those times it is good to remember that God loves us and is for us. I praise God that I have not faced too many times personally where someone has treated me openly unjustly, but I can see many places and circumstances where it does happen, so I can see the need for a passage like this to help the sufferer remember that they are loved.

It is also a good truth to embed in my own heart because in a fallen world we never know when someone might seriously sin against us and we might face they same feelings of injustice and loss and wondering if anyone really cares about us.