Psalm 124
Psalm 124:1 If the Lord hadn’t been for us— let Israel now repeat!—
Psalm 124:2 if the Lord hadn’t been for us, when those people attacked us
Psalm 124:3 then they would have swallowed us up whole with their rage burning against us!
Psalm 124:4 Then the waters would have drowned us; the torrent would have come over our necks;
Psalm 124:5 then the raging waters would have come over our necks!
Psalm 124:6 Bless the Lord because he didn’t hand us over like food for our enemies’ teeth!
Psalm 124:7 We escaped like a bird from the hunters’ trap; the trap was broken so we escaped!
Psalm 124:8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
Glenwood United Methodist Church Pastor Leo A. Cunningham September 30, 2018
This is one of the “Psalms of Ascent” (Psalms 120- 134). To ascend means to go upward.
Pilgrims or faithful people sang these psalms as they walked up to the temple in Jerusalem and climbed the stone steps to worship God.
In reflecting on Psalm 124, we know this is a psalm of David written in difficult circumstances.
David uses language of an unsettled creation to describe his difficulties.
Psalm 124:1 If the Lord hadn’t been for us— let Israel now repeat!—
Psalm 124:2 if the Lord hadn’t been for us, when those people attacked us
Psalm 124:3 then they would have swallowed us up whole with their rage burning against us!
Psalm 124:4 Then the waters would have drowned us; the torrent would have come over our necks;
Psalm 124:5 then the raging waters would have come over our necks!
David also looks to the animal kingdom to express his helplessness. He knows that God is going to save him.
Psalm 124:6 Bless the Lord because he didn’t hand us over like food for our enemies’ teeth!
Psalm 124:7 We escaped like a bird from the hunters’ trap; the trap was broken so we escaped!
Psalm 124:8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
So What?
This message series has been an example of how you can connect faith and nature.
There are so many things we need to be doing in our care of creation.
What are some of the ways that we can use nature to express our faith situations?
The storms and waves of poor stewardship feel overwhelming.
The heat of discord can feel like a raging inferno, burning relationships.
A kind word can be as soothing as a cool breeze on a hot summer day.
Sometimes our challenges feel as difficult as climbing a mountain.
Sometimes our darkest moments are as deep as the valley.
In the midst of it, though, we have to keep our focus on the Lord.
The Lord is on our side…
…but shouldn’t it be us who are on the Lord’s side?
Next Week…
Glenwood United Methodist Church Pastor Leo A. Cunningham October 7, 2018
And All Of God’s Children Said “Amen”.
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