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If The Lord Had Not Been...

             If the Lord had not been on our side—   let Israel say--  if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us, they would have swallowed us alive when their anger flared against us; the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away. Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn by their teeth. We have escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 124)


“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

 

          There are many verses I could quote that suggest that when one becomes a Christian, all one’s problems disappear. We get everything we ask for, and God sends His angels to protect us. So, if trials and danger come our way, that must be a sign that there’s something wrong with our Christianity—or with God.

          But Scripture never claims there will be no difficulties. Today’s passage doesn’t tell us that if God had not been on their side, bad stuff would have happened. It tells us that if He hadn’t been on their side, the worst possible thing would have happened: Israel would have been destroyed. This brings Job to mind and reinforces the idea that bad things don’t just happen to bad people. It doesn’t mean that God is angry with us when something bad happens.

          Even though we may know this, we’re still tempted to blame God or ourselves when things go wrong instead of praising Him when things go wrong because they haven’t gone as wrong as they could. And they don’t go as wrong as they could because God walks through them with us and protects us from the worst.

          That brings us back to why God allows and/or causes hard things in our lives. I don’t believe there’s one answer, even if we narrow it down to a specific instance. Sometimes, it’s to teach us something or correct an error in our lives. Sometimes, it’s to show us grace or to give us the means to give grace to others. Other times, it’s to build strength in us, or to reveal Himself to us. It might even be to introduce us to someone who might help us, or whom we might help. But whatever the reason, when we’re under attack, we need Him more than ever, and He will save us from the worst.

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