Good morning, DearHeart.
I’m married to a questioning sort of person, constantly asking questions. Constantly reasoning. Constantly a problem solver. I used to think he was asking ME the questions – but, I’ve learned he is not seeking a quick answer, but finds merely the asking of a question causes him to think deeper, and solve thoroughly. By asking, he is simply processing.
The questions most asked are “Why… ?”, and “What if …?”
“Why”, and “what if”, can set one’s heart into a panic but a while back, Psalm 124 was before me and it also asks the question:
“What if the Lord had not been on our side?”
It asks not once but twice in a short eight verses, a repetition demanding our attention.
“What if the Lord had not been on our side?”
The answer is quite simple – we would not have survived.
We would have gone down for the count.
We would have been destroyed when people speak ill of us,
when anger is spewed on us,
when circumstances overwhelm us,
when we feel cornered,
rejected,
abandoned,
or unloved.
Or, perhaps its when relationships fail us;
when the checkbook runs out of funds;
when the refrigerator is empty;
when our dream job suddenly comes to an end;
or when illness strikes.
But the psalmist, King David, is not asking the question because anxiety is great within him. In fact, I feel his faith and a call to also ask the question … it is in the asking that our faith will be built up.
David tells us in the psalm what could have happened, but did not, because the Lord was on the side of His people. He states the “what if” scenarios to remind us not of the difficulties but to shift our hearts to remember …
The Lord was indeed with us and on our side.
“Praise the Lord … Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (verse 8, NLT)
We can look at our present difficulties, those challenging days, and remind our souls of the greatness and power of our God. It is out of our hard days that we develop a faith to stand firm in the promise of His help.
“What if the Lord had not been on our side? Let all Israel repeat: 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. Praise the Lord, who did not let their teeth tear us apart! We escaped like a bird from a hunter’s trap. The trap is broken, and we are free! Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalms‬ ‭124:1-8‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Wake up.
What if God is already there?
He is. We are safe.
Go.