OUR HELP IS FROM THE LORD

As the Jews went up the mountain to Jerusalem to worship God in the temple, they remembered that without God's help, their enemies would have destroyed them. Psalm 124:2-5 says, "What if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us? They would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger. The waters would have engulfed us; a torrent would have overwhelmed us. Yes, the raging waters of their fury would have overwhelmed our very lives." The Jews acknowledged that without God's help, they could not survive against their enemies. They needed God's protection, for they couldn't save themselves from their enemies' attacks. In verse 7 of this Psalm, they pictured themselves like a bird caught in their enemies' trap, and God had to rescue them from their enemies' trap. God had to protect them from being torn apart by their enemies. As a result, they praised the Lord and acknowledged that their help was from the LORD who made the heaven and the earth. They longed to be in the presence of God to show their appreciation to God for when they were weak and couldn't defend themselves, God always rescued them.

The Jews experienced the power of God in their lives through their weaknesses, not being able to protect themselves from their enemies. We feel hopeless in a situation where we can't protect ourselves from the challenges that we are facing with our strength and wisdom. Recently, my wife and I went on a cave adventure where we could get on a floating tube and go through a stream of water to see the inside of the cave. Our group had a headlight on and a floating vest. At the end of our trip, our guide told us that we could swim with our floating vest on if we wanted. So, I decided to swim. I thought that it would be shallow, but it was deep, so I continued to swim, but I got tired halfway. I couldn't move any longer, and the only thing that was saving me was my life vest. Our guide had to come back for me and let me hold on to the floating tube to pull me to the end. I was hopeless when I didn't have the strength to swim. I couldn't have drowned easily if I didn't have my life vest on, and I couldn't have been trapped in the cave if our guide had not helped me. God is our ultimate rescue, and this is the reason we need Him all the time.

Praise God that He can rescue us in any situation we are in. He is our only help and hope when our strength is gone, and our wisdom is spent. We praise and worship God because He is faithful to rescue us. 

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) Who is my ultimate help in an impossible situation when I lack the strength and wisdom to carry on? Describe a situation where God rescued me. How did I feel when God used someone to rescue me? 

Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.

Prayer:

Father in Heaven, thank you for being my help when I didn't have the strength and wisdom to help myself. I am grateful for showing me in my desperate situations that I am not alone. You are always with me, and I need to trust in you all the time. I can easily make mistakes and get into impossible situations, but no matter how difficult my situation, You are always there to help me through. Thank you for always being my lifeline. In your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.