He Is for Us!
Opening Prayer
Loving God, I worship You for Your love and faithfulness towards me today and always.
Read Psalm 124
1 If the Lord had not been on our side—
let Israel say—
2 if the Lord had not been on our side
when people attacked us,
3 they would have swallowed us alive
when their anger flared against us;
4 the flood would have engulfed us,
the torrent would have swept over us,
5 the raging waters
would have swept us away.
6 Praise be to the Lord,
who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
7 We have escaped like a bird
from the fowler’s snare;
the snare has been broken,
and we have escaped.
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Exod. 34:6).The Christian songwriter Dan Lyth imagines God watching him before his morning alarm goes off. God says excitedly, “Wake up, wake up now; I’ve been waiting for you to get out of bed so we can take on the world.” Does that jar with your view of God? Surely, he is more distant? Surely, he’s waiting for us to pull our spiritual socks up before he blesses us today? But we forget how intense God’s covenant love is for his people: “It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms… How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?” (Hos. 11:3,8). As our psalm puts it, God is “on our side” (1,2); the Maker of heaven and earth is committed to us.
Have you ever felt like God has forgotten you? When life is difficult, we easily feel this way. And yet God’s people were attacked (2) by Pharaoh, by Canaanites, by Midianites, by Assyrians; Paul was imprisoned, John was exiled. But they were not “swallowed alive,” or engulfed, or swept away (3–5). Why? Because the Lord was on their side. As God’s chosen people (1 Pet. 2:9), he is for us. The Maker of heaven and earth helps his people.
Apply
Do you look to God for help first or to other sources? Today make a point of asking God for help first.
Closing prayer
God has brought you to himself for his glorious purposes in Christ. He is on your side, even in suffering. Pray Romans 8:28.
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Discovery is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.