If the Lord had not been on our side when men attacked us … they would have swallowed us alive. … Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn by their teeth. —Psalm 124:2-3, 6
Do you know what it is like to have somebody physically attack you? The trauma is one that, humanly speaking, you don’t overcome easily. Or perhaps you have been verbally attacked. You know the awful feeling when somebody points a finger of blame at you.
The Lord’s people in this psalm were the objects of anger. It is very frightening to be near someone who is angry. Perhaps you live in constant fear of a co-worker’s temper or the angry outbursts of a loved one. You know how it feels to live in a situation from which you wish you could be delivered.
The truth is, your real enemy is the devil. The devil’s work is to cloud your mind. He can come as an angel of light; that means that he will work through someone who has the appearance of being very righteous, a person of integrity, a person who is believable. Or he may come as a roaring lion.
But we learn from verse 6 that God can step into the situation: “Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn by their teeth.”
Maybe you’re saying, “I don’t think God is on my side.” Remember this: God is on the side of anybody who will openly identify with His Son, Jesus Christ. God has promised that everything that happens in the lives of believers will work together for their good.
You will know what it is like for the Lord to rescue you. Maybe you don’t see God in it at the time, but that is the only real explanation. God mercifully stepped in.
Excerpted from Higher Ground (Christian Focus Publications Ltd., 1995).