Whose side is God on?

Sermon: Psalm 123,124

Psalms of Ascent - for the journey

Journey can’t be skipped. Its a key part of the story.

Not the end goal, not the destination

The journey is part of the purpose

how much do we miss now

I would give anything to skip to the end, or to have Jesus come today

as He has not, I look to the Bible, and in it I see these psalms that remind me to engage in the journey. The end WILL come, but first, the journey.

This psalmist says:

I lift my eyes to you,

O God, enthroned in heaven.

When anyone is pushed or takes time to think about it, we know that heaven, wherever God is, is not “Up”

I spent some time in Australia - who’s up are we talking about? North/south/east/west/up/down was never the point

We spend a lot of time looking down

What that looks like:

Phones

computers

figuratively - judging others

Our God is a God who is up, and we have to look up, lift our eyes from our muck and shtuff.

Stay here a bit - where is our focus?

How? How do we change our focus?

It can be very physical as well. Notice, when you do your thing - pay attention. How do you feel? After you leave it - how do you feel? We are hard wired more for negative than positive, it takes effort, actual effort, to be joyful and positive.

We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy,

just as servants keep their eyes on their master,

as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal.

some words on obedient waiting

Man I’m tired of waiting.

I love this about the app culture!

And yet, we wait.

Again on the actual watching.

“Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy,

for we have had our fill of contempt.

This is a prayer for the hurting and broken. Are you? Are you feeling hurt and tired, like me? There is room for you here. This psalm is for us.

Psalms are my favorite. I memorize them for my spiritual and emotional health - the continual reminder that I’m not in this alone.

The psalms don’t fix it, they don’t have all the answers, but they invite us to feel a part of others and their pain, to know that we aren’t alone. And sometimes that is exactly what we need.

You are not alone

expound

Before I get discouraged, we come to Psalm 124

Psalm 124

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.

different tone - looking back on going through something hard

At the beginning - What if the Lord had not been on our side

when people attacked us?

this is after the event. They already know the outcome, they are turning back and looking

this is valuable. So often, after we have been through something, we want to forget about it. The psalmist reminds us; Look back. Remember. Focus.

What’s the value in looking back

It can be good- Blackberries - running with Adam

Also look back at the hard times. Our bodies remember grief, we can only heal by remembering and recognizing what we have been through.

Church family, look back. Take a minute: what has been a blessing out of this past year?

I never want to do it again, and I wouldn’t trade the growth and the lessons. The added time with my kids. It has been hard, and I don’t want to go back to the person that was before. (don’t get me wrong, I want to be done growing now…)

God has grown me and blessed me. As I have cried out for mercy, God has responded.

Recognition:

They would have swallowed us alive

in their burning anger.

We have a God that promises us He is there. We will face burning anger, but he is there.

Looking to God - we know He was with us, we know he will be with us, but we don’t know what that will look like what to expect. “And do we really want it any other way? I don’t think so. We would very soon become contemptuous of a god whom we could figure out like a puzzle or learn to use like a tool. No, if God is worth our attention at all, he must be a God we can look up to—a God we must look up to ... The moment we look up to God (and not over at him, or down on him) we are in the posture of servitude.” - Eugene Peterson

This psalm asks “if God had not been on our side” and we ask:

whose side is God on now?…Ok, wait, i wish we asked that. I think we are all pretty sure God would agree with us and our opinions.

I ask you now - whose side is God on?

I know the answer. Ready? God is on MY side....and your side.

God is on your side. Not your opinions, but yours. Not your accomplishments, but yours. God always is for you.

Olympics this week - Simone Bile, the most decorated Gymnast of all time - she realized she was worth more than an olympic Gold medal. She, as a human was worth more.

You are worth more than an olympic Gold medal. You are worth more than opinions, political right and wrong, more than your career, more than your academics. You, as a child of God, are priceless, Jesus paid that price, and God is on your side.

God is for the person next to you just as much. And the person across the church, across the school, across your work desk. God is for them as well. God is for people

we are called to look up and focus.

Change posture

Look up - focus

Look back and see God

Look forward and know

See God working people. To look for it, look for where God is in people. Less time looking down.

God is for you.