The Winning Side

I remember those playground games when I fervently hoped that the star player would be chosen for our side so that we would not suffer annihilation.For Israel, it was no game. Their physical enemies threatened to annihilate them and the psalmist recalls the threat in vivid imagery: man-eating monsters, raging floods, deadly snares. They escaped, but it was a close thing, or so it seemed in retrospect. In reality, the final victory was never in doubt, for the creator God was on their side (1,2,8). As we journey today, huge threats to our faith and well-being may loom. Unlike in ancient Israel, the attacks may not be physically threatening, but they are no less real. Thinly disguised scorn from a work colleague, rising tension in the home, ingratitude from a friend, in unguarded moments, cause us to feel like we are being eaten alive, in danger of drowning, caught in a painful snare. Then, we remember we have the star player on our side. “If the Lord had not been on our side…” He is, and he makes all the difference! The threats may not recede, but deep inside you know that nothing can finally overwhelm you.