October 26 - Psalm 124

October 26 - Psalm 124

This really is one of my favorite Psalms.  “If the Lord had not been on our side when …”

When I look back over my life and consider all of the things I have been through, I can not imagine how I would have done so without the Lord at my side.  I always wondered why those things happened to me and why I was forced to go through unimaginable pain, but I also always knew that I wasn't alone. Even if I did nothing other than cry out, “WHY?” I knew there was someone who would hear me and comfort me.

And, even further than that, when I cried out, “Are you really there? How can you expect me to believe in you?” I knew there was someone who would hear me and quietly say, “Yes. I’m here. I expect nothing more than that you believe in me.”

Two days after my mother died, I spoke with a friend and said, “The thing that scares me more than anything is that I might lose my faith because of my fear and frustration right now.”  She hugged me and told me that my faith was too deep and strong to lose it over death.  Death happened to everyone and the gift of a relationship with God was experienced only by those who had faith in Him.  Neither He nor I would give it up so easily.

The crazy thing about that question of mine was that my mother’s death gave me more insight into my relationship with God than any other experience in my entire life.  Though I clearly remember the day when I walked to the altar and asked Jesus Christ to be the Savior of my life, my mother’s death is the defining moment in my understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and to be in a relationship with the God of Creation.  One small question asked out loud and from there, a lifetime of learning and comprehension began.

If the Lord had not been on our side … I would be but a shadow of the person I am today.

My help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.