Just when You thought You had Me

Introduction

The Psamist reminisces on how bad his situation was. He informs the reader or listener of this song of how strong his enemy was. He wanys us to see that if it had not been for God he would have fallen. His enemy chased him down with violent intentions. The writer in no way wanted to give the false impression that he was skilled enough to win this war alone. So he is sure to admit that he wanted to give up because the enemy was stronger than him. In verses 13-17 of our text he desribes even further his reason for praising God!

There are three actions in these five verses that i hope to Highlight, so that we may come to know that when it seems that we have lost the battle, God is able to pull us out! These actions are A Push, A Praise and a Pull!

1. The push

Ps 118:13 “You pushed me violently, that I might fall, But the Lord helped me.”

The push of the enemy. describes being chased, thrust, driven out, surrounded with no place to turn, the feeling of being cast down.

2 Cor 4:8-9 “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed

a. We all are being pushed

b. We feel pressed, perplexed, persecuted, cast down

c. The writer was pushed just as we are pushed but he didn’t fall

d. We may feel like falling but we want because God is our help

e. We can’t fight our enemy alone we need the strong hand of God to help us fight!

Ps 18:17-18 “He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, For they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the Lord was my support.”

The Praise

The praise of the retreater. He speaks of the “Isness of God”

Ps 118:14-15 “The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation Is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.”

He makes make three declarations of praise to God

a. He is my stength, God was his strength in various applications

b. God is our personal, social, and political strength

c. He is my Song, we all should have a song to sing for the Lord! because he is good and He is the source of our power. We don’t find strength because of the song but we sing the song because He is our strength!

Ex 15:2 “The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.”

d. He is my Salvation, my deliverance, welfare, prosperity, the reason I have victory!

e. This deliverance/salvation through God prompted a rejoicing and brought salvation to all those residing in the tents of the righteous!

Ps 34:1-3 “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.”

The Pull

The Pull of God, God did not leave him is his situation.

Ps 118:16-17 “The right hand of the Lord is exalted; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the Lord.”

a. The right hand of God symbolizes the Divine strength of God

b. He exalts the right hand of God because it was the right Hand of God that pulled him up and out!

c. God’s hand works valiantly, meaning his hand has the ability to do what needs to be done! His hand is efficent more efficent than any army.

d. God’s hand is a mighty force, stronger than the force that was against him meaning that while the enemy was pushing God was pulling!

e. Just when the enemy thought he had won, felt that they had him down and that he was about to fall. Death looked certatin and out of no where Here comes the strong right hand of God to pull him from death to Life!

f. So the psamist declares that “I shall Not die but live” and “Declare the works of the Lord.”

G. In other words he was saying that every chance I get I will rub it in the face of the enemy How the Lord work things of for my good. Because “Just when you thought you had me” He came and grabbed me!

Conclusion

Your situation no matter how big or violent it seems it is no match for Your God. The push of the enemy can be so violent that it leaves you feeling like giving in is the only option. Remeber these words from Paul;

2 Cor 4:8-9 “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—” You are not destroyed God has a plan to deliver you. My challenge is to praise God while being push. Don’t allow the push of the enemy to dictate your praise! God is pulling you out, not so you can go back or to look like what you be through but for you to Live and not die and declare the works of the Lord! We all should be dead in our trespasses and sin but God pulled us out “Just when the enemy thought he had us”

Rom 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”