Day 5/Week 2 - Stepping Up

Praise the Lord

Psalm 124
If the Lord had not been on our side - let Israel say -
If the Lord had not been on our side when men attacked us,
then they would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger against us.
Then the waters would have engulfed us; the torrent would have swept over us.
the raging waters would have swept over us.
Praise the Lord,
who has not let us be ripped apart by their teeth.
We have escaped like a bird from the hunter's net; the net is torn, and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

We left off yesterday considering what our lives would be like if God were not fighting the powers of darkness on our behalf.
Now, lets consider how God is saving us from ourselves. When we allow God to save us from a pit of sin, we also avoid the outcome of
bitterness, coldness and mean-spiritedness.
Has satan effectively tempted you to oppose your own best interest? If so, did you get fed up with being your own worst enemy and decide
to let God bring you some healing?
In our introductory session, we talked about three historical associations with the Psalms of Ascent. What are they?
1. They are associated with the 15 steps of the temple
2. They were the songs sung on the pilgrimage to the Three Great Feasts
3. They were the songs sung by the exiles returning to Jerusalem from captivity
Psalm 124 focuses on a specific kind of help from God. Many of the Psalms center around help from God, but 124 is distinct.
Verse 2 states, "If the Lord had not been on our side..."
This Psalm is speaking of God's help in battle against the spiritual realm. He doesn't just promise us we will be conquerors. He promises we will be more than conquerors.
What does Joshua 23:10 say?
"One of you routs a thousand because the Lord your God fights for you just as He promised."
Beth states, "Regardless of how long we've been Christians and how deeply we've studied God's Word, most of us do not really believe down in the marrow of our bones that God is entirely, wholeheartedly, and unwaveringly on our side."
We spend much of our lives never believing that God really is on our side. We tend to think that God just tolerates us...our actions, anxieties, fears and insecurities prove that.
Estimate the position you tend to picture God taking with you
1. God is against me
2. God tolerates me
3. God is for me
Think back over your history with God. Regardless of where you estimated your relationship with God, name a couple of things that helped shape that conclusion.
Despite how we feel much of the time, can the rest of us think of a few times when we'd have to admit that God seemed to be on our side? Describe one of those times.
We tend to have a test for when we think God is for us or the other guy. For example, we say, "well, if God doesn't give me the raise I need then He doesn't want me to have this."
Please write John 13: 7:
Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand".
Beth suggests when things don't always go our way to think of this verse. Then think of your relationship with your children. When you make decisions for them, very often they tell you that you are the meanest person they know. You know why you made the decision, and it will benefit your children in the future. They are just to immature and inexperienced to see it for themselves. She goes further to say that God knows when something glorious in our future necessitates something difficult in our present. He is willing to risk being misunderstood in order to bring joy to our lives.
Read Romans 8: 28 - 39. Let God tell you what He will do for you.
God is on our side.