One of my favorite songs is derived from Psalm 124. Consider the beautiful words of this song/psalm:
Had it not been the Lord who was on our side
Had it not been the Lord who was on our side
The anger of the enemy would have swallowed us alive
Had it not been the Lord who was on our side
Blessed be the Lord who would not give us up
Blessed be the Lord for His unfailing love
The snare is broken and we have escaped
Our help is in the name of the Lord
Blessed be the Lord!
Whenever I sing these words, as I say “the anger of the enemy,” I inevitably think of myself and my own anger. How destructive my own anger has been! And how much more destructive it would have been had the Lord not graciously saved me (and those around me) from it! I sing with thankfulness that the Lord has not given up on me even though my own struggles have been like the work of the enemy among us at times.
Today as you read these words, I hope you will consider your own life. With thankfulness and praise for God’s loving graciousness, can you see where you would have been “had it not been the Lord who was on your side”?
Ephesians 2:2 says that we ALL were “by nature children of wrath” who lived by carrying out the desires of our flesh. We all were on a path of destruction, and had it not been the Lord who was on our side, we all would find ourselves today in a place we would shudder to consider.
The Lord has been good to us. He saved us, not because He saw untapped potential or because we deserved it, but because we needed to be saved. Today, offer up a special prayer of praise and thanks as you finish this sentence:
Had it not been the Lord who was on my side …
– Deryk Pritchard, Preacher