Psalms 124

Pray

Give Honor

Text: Psalms 124:1-8

Psalm 124:1–8 NKJV

1 “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,” Let Israel now say— 2 “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, When men rose up against us, 3 Then they would have swallowed us alive, When their wrath was kindled against us; 4 Then the waters would have overwhelmed us, The stream would have gone over our soul; 5 Then the swollen waters Would have gone over our soul.” 6 Blessed be the Lord, Who has not given us as prey to their teeth. 7 Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; The snare is broken, and we have escaped. 8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

The Song of a Survivor

“Tragedies are common place, all kinds of diseases people are slipping away.

Economies down, people can’t get enough pay,

As for me, all I can say is

Thank you Lord, for all you’ve done for me”

These are the sentiments of a songwriter, who looks around and sees the current state of where he is,

He sees the calamity that’s in the world, and the hardship of that which he is seeing,

but realizing that though there are problems and calamities in the world,

He’s become thankful that, that which he is seeing, is that which he is surviving

These same sentiments of the songwriter are the same sentiments of the Psalmist David.

While looking around and seeing the calamities of Israel, or maybe his own life,

he realizes that, that which he SAW, Is that which he survived.

and I don’t know who’s in here who can testify that

I’ve seen some problems in my life

I’ve seen some pain in my life

I’ve seen some hardship in my life

I’ve seen some sickness in my life,

I’ve seen some low moments in my life,

but that, which I’ve seen

Is that which I’ve survived.

(turn)

when you realize that,

that which you’ve seen, is that which you’ve survived

You should very well come to the conclusion,

that I didn’t get myself out of that

I did not get my self out of the hospital

I did not get myself out of that addiction,

but there was only ONE WAY I got out of this

If it had not been, for the Lord who was on my side.

We have made it to the book of Psalms (124)

This is a psalm of ascent.

These songs are 15 psalms long.

Legend has it, the psalm of ascents are psalms that are written in reference to the pilgrims, headed to the temple to praised the name of the Lord. There are 15 steps that led to the temple in Israel.

And legend has it.

That at every step, at every place, at every moment,

They would stop and praise God for making it another step.

They did not wait until they got to the temple to praise him, but they praised him while they were on their way.

We have made it now to the fifth step. Psalm (124).

A song of a survivor.

This psalm teaches us that it was only by the help of the Savior that allowed the Survivor to Survive.

If It had not been.

David so elequently pins these words. and there is no particular story that aligns with what David was talking about.

It could have been God’s protection from the hand of Saul.

It could have been God’s provision against Israel’s enemies

It could have been just a plea to Israel to Praise God for his Power.

Either way, this is a song that shows, that it could have gone bad soon, but God kept them and covered them.

They say If it had not been, for the lord who was on our side.

the first thing they do is

Reflect on God’s Presence

The bible says they say if it had not been for the Lord who was on our side, Let israel now say.

in other words

This is not just a song about the writer’s life. But legend has it, that as the leader would sing the song of praise unto God.

when it was Israel’s time to sing. every one who believed what he was saying to be true would join in and sing with them.

This was a call and response song.

Back in Louisiana during devotion the decon would get up and say

“Guide me oh though great jehova, Pilgrim to this barren land”

then the whole church would sing

“Guiiiiiiidddddeee me oh though,”

Mothers would be shouting, Hats and wigs would fly everywhere and it was because the singer would listen to what the leader sung, and something in that song aligned with their life.

They would look back over their lives and praise God, that he guided them through some stuff.

and this is a time, where David or the Pilgrims, took a moment to reflect on times where the Lord’s presence helped them through some situations.

God’s Presece is more that just God being Present!

But God’s presence means that God is actively working, moving, providing, Protecting, covering.

God’s presence is enough.

God was present in the fire with the three hebrew boys, and they walked in what was supposed to burn them up

God was present in the Lion’s den with daniel. and Daniel was sleeping on what was supposed to eat him.

and I don’t have to go through bible I can just look at your life and you would tell me.

supernatural things happen when God is present.

God was present in my sickness.

God was present in my low moments

God was present in my hurts

God was present in my dismay

and when ever God is present. Supernatural things happen.

God is never present and not working.

If it had not been THE LORD ON MY SIDE.

Remind you. This is KING David writing this.

He has an army at his disposal.

He has funds at his disposal

He has people at his disposal.

but if it had not been THE LORD.

They reflect on his presence but they also

Recognize God’s Protection

See, when you reflect on the Presence of God,

It makes you recognize the Protection OF GOD.

The bible says “When Men rose up against us, they would’ve swallowed us alive.”

The stream would have gone over our soul then the Swolen waters would’ve gone over our soul.

This shows me

The Power God has when He’s with me

God has the power over everything and

when we put our trust in him,

He will protect us from the very thing we have no control over

This is not the first time we see God’s protection in David’s life.

it was God’s protection that Helped David kill Goliath

It was God’s protection that covered David while on the run from Daul

it was God’s protection that helped David recover all.

Because God has the POWER OVER EVERYTHING, HE CAN PROTECT ME FROM ANYTHING.

THIS SHOWS ME THE POWER GOD HAS.

BUT THEN IT SHOWS ME

2. The power I have when God is with me.

The bible says that the SWOLLEN WATERS would have gone over OUR soul.

This speaks of the waves being so heavy, they would wipe us away.

this reminds me of the flood. Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

We would see the streams so strong that they would uproot houses from their foundations

They would up root some trees, but there were some trees that never uprooted.

The branches may have broken,

The leaves may have withered, but the root of the tree was so deep and so strong that nothing could topple them over.

and when God is with us and protecting us. there is noting that can not break us.

we may bend, but we won’t break.

we may be uprooted, but we won’t break

Because of the protection of God.

they reflect on his presence,

they recognize his protection

but lastly

They

Respond with a Praise

After they reflect on his presence,

After they recognize his protection

there is nothing left for them to do. but respond with praise.

They say BLESSED be the name of the Lord.

The writer obviously sees the true nature and power of the God he serves and it pushes in to respond with a praise.

The bible says hes not given us as prey to their teeth.

this speaks of times when we feel helpless and hopeless,

Then it says our soul has ESCAPED like a snare of the Fowler.

The snare is broken and our soul has ESCAPED

to say we escapted from the snare, is to say we got caught up in some stuff. To say we escaped is to say we were trapped.

And I’m not praising because he never let me in it.

I’m praising because even when I fell, Even in my low moments, even in my mess ups, even in my mistakes,

he saved me.

Yep i did it,

But he saved me.

Messed up big time,

but he saved me.

and when God gives you a way of escape,

the only way you can respond is by Praising his HOLY NAME.

I praise him because the SNARE COULD’VE TAKEN ME OUT.

THE HEART ACHE COULD’VE TAKEN ME OUT,

THE LOW MOMENT COULD’VE TAKEN ME OUT.

BUT I PRAISE BECAUSE I’M A SURVIVOR.

THE LAST VERSE GIVES US A AN ASSURANCE.

OUR HELP. IS IN THE NAME OF THE LORD.

WHERE DID OUR HELP COME FROM?

IT CAME FROM THE LORD.