Sunday Scripture

 

For those coming in late, I've been posting each Sunday about a simple study of Psalms that I worked on throughout summer 2020.  It was a perfect study to be working on amid the uncertainties of that year -- and some of it was done sitting at picnic tables while camping in the midst of God's glorious creation.  There just couldn't have been a better backdrop --so awe-inspiring, and so many great reminders of God's amazing power and endless creativity!  As you will see, this fits so well with today's verse.

This Psalms study is another from Good Morning Girls.  Although I love more in-depth Bible studies, but these simpler ones are also a blessing to do.  I like to use the SOAP method of Bible study, and the journal from GMG uses a very similar method.  I find this method a real blessing whether I am studying shorter passages or longer ones, so I hope you'll give it a try if you haven't ever done so. Just a reminder that the S is for Scripture -- just write it out -- and the O is for Observation, the A is for Application and the P is for prayer -- concerning how you'll apply this verse or praise for what it means to you.

Today's study is from Psalm 124, and the verse we were to closely consider is verse 8.  I chose to look at verses 2 and 3 and verses 6 through 8 of this short but so meaningful psalm.

S=            "If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us:
       "Then had they swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us ...
       "Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.
       "Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we are escaped.
       "Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth."  (Psalm 124:2-3; 6-8)

O=  C.I. Scofield, in the Scofield Reference Bible, titles this psalm "God on the side of His people."  What a wonderful truth!  The psalmist (David, in this case) states that if it had not been the LORD who was on their side when men rose up against them,  then:

* Their enemies would have swallowed them alive;
* The waters of trouble would have overwhelmed their souls.

But their help was in the name of the LORD,  the Maker of heaven and earth. The psalmist blesses God for His deliverance from their enemies.

A=  The psalm begins by emphasizing, "If it had not been the LORD who was on our side ...".  But it ends with the inescapable, incomparable truth: "Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth."  We are in a frightening place as believers and as a nation.  We might fear that we are in "the snare of the fowlers".  But the Maker of heaven and earth is on our side.  He is still able to deliver us from any traps set by the enemy.  The Maker of heaven and earth is all-powerful and all-wise.  There is nothing too hard for Him!

P=  "Lord, I am so thankful that You are on our side.  The all-powerful, all-wise, endlessly creative Maker of heaven and earth is on our side!  We need not fear what man can do unto us.  We're in a frightening situation, but we know that You are with us and that You are able to deliver us in ways beyond what we could ask or think.  We are trusting You to do just that, and we thank You for all that You will do, in Jesus' name, Amen."

The reflection question for this day's study notes, in part: "It is no small thing to have access to the maker of the heavens and the earth!  Our confidence that we can call on Him and He will help us, should be secure.  Think back over your life and tell of a time when you prayed and asked the Lord for help.  How did He answer that prayer?"

I wrote a lengthy answer to this, but for the blog I will summarize it.  We were in a difficult situation, one that just wouldn't go away.  One problem would be dealt with and another would spring up.  Our prayer had been similar to that of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles: "Neither know we what to do, but our eyes are upon Thee."  We saw God answer in so many ways, from giving us good people to counsel us and give practical help to giving us excellent, restorative sleep every night.  God is so good and so faithful!

That's the Scripture study for this Sunday.  I think these verses are great ones to meditate on through the week in these uncertain times.  The Maker of heaven and earth is with us and will never leave us.  He is able to deliver us!