Understatement

"'Had it not been the Lord who was on our side,'

Let Israel now say,

'Had it not been the Lord who was on our side

When men rose up against us,

Then they would have swallowed us alive,

When their anger was kindled against us;

Then the waters would have engulfed us;

The stream would have swept over our soul;

Then the raging waters would have swept over our soul.'

Blessed be the Lord,

Who has not given us to be torn by their teeth.

Our soul escaped as a bird out of the snare of the trapper;

The snare is broken and we have escaped.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth."
Psalm 124

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More often than not, I think I severely understate God. You might ask, "What do you mean by that?" It's a valid question.

Here's what I mean:

I say "God's in control." so casually!
Or "He knows what He's doing." so nonchalantly!

Talk about the understatement of the millenium! More often than not I just flippantly toss these phrases around without actually thinking about the implications of what I just said. Think about this for a moment.

GOD. IS. ALL. POWERFUL.

That means He's bigger than my problems. He's bigger than my stress. He's bigger than me in every single way and entirely more capable of dealing with things than I ever could be. The psalmist reminds me here, perhaps more convictingly than I've felt before, that God really, truly is inconceivably BIG.

Why is that so convicting? It seems like such a simple thought.

It's so convicting because I was reminded as I read through this passage that if I really believe that what the Bible says is true, if I really believe that God is who He says He is, then there ought to be an appropriate response from me as I live out my faith.

Do my prayers reflect trust in a God who is bigger than any of my problems?

       Do my actions reflect that trust?

              Do my thoughts reflect that trust?

I think there's something to be said for praying over a situation. Absolutely. But how many times do we pray for something and not really expect God to do anything about it?

How many times do I ask the Lord to show me the opportunity to share the Gospel, but then never leave the house? Can I really blame God for not presenting me with an opportunity to tell someone about Him when I didn't even go where people were in order to share?

In Psalm 124 David is praising God for deliverance, but he closes with this powerful truth, "Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth."

How often do I say I'm trusting in the God who made heaven and earth but actually place my trust in the god of self?

Is not our God bigger than that?
Is not our God more worthy than that?

This passage should bolster our confidence in the Lord of all creation. It should lead us to believe Him when He says He will do something. This Psalm should lead to a confidence in the Lord that completely and utterly trusts in Him, even when we don't understand His purpose or plan.

Deeper still is the resulting boldness of the believer. How bold are you when it comes to trusting God to do what He says He will do? How bold are you when it comes to accomplishing things for the sake of God's kingdom? If we really trust God, if we really believe Him, then that should lead to action. Our lives should reflect the complete trust that we have in our God - to save us, to sanctify us, and to send us out in His name.

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That you might know Christ,