The worship leader led . . . and I joyfully followed along. Until . . .
The unexpected suddenly welled . . . and gushed tears of deepest gratitude.
The song?
“Had it not been the Lord Who was on our side,
Had it not been the Lord Who was on our side,
The anger of the enemy would have swallowed us alive.
Had it not been the Lord Who was on our side.
Blessed be the Lord Who would not give us up.
Blessed be the Lord for His unfailing love.
The snare was broken and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the Lord.”
Have you ever felt that sense of relief that comes from having looked back over a precarious situation and realize you’ve been delivered? All the potential disasters God has averted suddenly dawns on you, as an instantly bursting epiphany.
When the Spirit deeply convicts that it was the Lord (and none other) Who delivered you, you are suddenly moved to worship in truth. For, if He had not been on your side, a lot of things would have surely gone horribly wrong.
When a single mom is battling to raise kids in this day and age – and culture – the odds are definitely stacked against her. The many “fowler’s snares” are too numerous to mention. But to come out unscathed can only be attributed to His goodness, mercy, and grace, indeed.
And help. How desperately we depended on His unfailing help!
It was Him and only Him—certainly nothing less would do. That’s what it took. Rather, Who it took. This weak and flawed vessel surely didn’t have it in her to navigate the perils safely—because so much was out of my control. But not His.
But I’m not the first to offer such merited praise. Job did. And the psalmist:
“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.”
(Ps 124)
What a riveting testimony to the deliverance of God! You can hear the worship in his words.
In thankfully praising the name of the Lord for paving the way of our escape, survivor’s guilt tried to set in, of course. Because trial and tragedy does strike—in a thousand different (and ugly) ways. And bad things do happen. But, in that moment, God’s goodness would not be denied. I deemed this a ploy of the enemy (the dark one who thinks nothing of swallowing you alive) to rob God of rightful glory, honor, praise, and worship. So I sang on, past the lump in my throat and the streaming tears all the while.
Yes! Blessed be the Lord—Who would not give up on us! The waters may have been a raging torrent at times, but they never engulfed us. He saw us through. And He can do the same for you!
He is for you—the Maker of heaven and earth is your very present Help.