Day 772: Psalm 124- Past Help. Present Hope.

If it had not been the Lord who was on our side--
    let Israel now say--
2 if it had not been the Lord who was on our side
    when people rose up against us,
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive,
    when their anger was kindled against us;
4 then the flood would have swept us away,
    the torrent would have gone over us;
5 then over us would have gone
    the raging waters.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
    who has not given us
    as prey to their teeth!
7 We have escaped like a bird
    from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
    and we have escaped!
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.
 
Meditation
Isaac Watts’ classic hymn Our God, our help in ages past cultivates present hope through celebrating His help in storms, floods, and fights of this life. God’s sovereign grace wants to fortify your faith through this corporate song of survival.
 
After David was anointed king, he battled the Philistines. Trusting God’s promise to break enemy strongholds, David led Israel to victory and described God’s role as, “breaking through enemies before me like a breaking flood” (2 Samuel 5:20). God helps His people! And God’s help in the past fuels present hope.
 
Pilgrims sang this psalm ascending to Jerusalem for feasts, festivals, sacrifices, and service of worship. The lyrics shaped the singer to walk from God’s victory, the historic faithfulness of God’s sovereign grace. “If the Lord had not been on our side…” (1, 2) then the monsters would have swallowed us alive (3), floods would have swept us away (4), and the raging waters would have drowned us (5). Blessed be the Lord who has helped us escape (6-7)! “Our help is in the name of the Lord!” (8)
 
True hope comes from looking to the Maker and not things made. Remembering and reflecting on God’s rescue reinforces our faith, knowing our God who helped in ages past is our hope for years to come. “Under the shadow of His throne the saints will dwell secure. Sufficient is His arm alone and our defenses sure.” God has been faithful in the past. God will be faithful in the present. Blessed is the one whose hope is in the Lord.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Do you have difficulty celebrating how God has been faithful in the past? What is one area of God’s past faithfulness you can ponder?
 
-What aspects of the description of the Lord’s victory stand out to you? Why?
 
-How does celebrating the help of the Lord in the past fuel present hope? Where do you need hope? How can you apply God’s past faithfulness to fortify your faith?
 
Key Verse
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.