Studies in the Psalms - Psalm 124

Most of us have asked the question, “What if _____?” If only I would have done this, instead of that. It is a question that can drive us crazy, as we ponder what might have been. Psalm 124 asks the “if’ question, but it asks it in a different sense then we usually do. It asks, “what if God wasn’t on our side?”

Psalm 124:1-2

If it had not been the LORD who was on our side— let Israel now say—  if it had not been the LORD who was on our side when people rose up against us,

Think about that today. Maybe today your faith has waned and began to fail you. The psalmist knew the importance of looking back and seeing how faithful God has been in providing for His people.

Psalm 124:3-5
then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us;  then over us would have gone the raging waters.

How many times have you felt overwhelmed in your life and wondered how you would ever survive the ordeal in front of you? If you are Christ’s child, then you have a shepherd who watches over you and leads you through the valley of death. We all know the 23^rd Psalm. Have you ever thought about that? Jesus doesn’t lead us away from the Valley of Death, He leads us through it.

Psalm 124:6-7
Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth!  We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped!

Thanks be to Jesus. Because of Him, we have escaped. He has set us free. Not only did Jesus set us free from the snare, He broke it so that we need never be caught in it again.

Psalm 124:8
Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

When you need help, where do you turn first? There are a lot of places to go for help, but there is only one who has the power to free you from the snares of life. Our help? Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth. Go to Him. He will set you free. His name is Jesus.