God
Is On Our Side
Psalm 24
“If the Lord had not been on our side, let Israel say, if
the Lord had not been on our side when enemies rose up against us, then they
would have swallowed us up alive.”
The first verses
of Psalm 124 say something very fundamental about our relationship with the
Lord: God is on our side. That is the essence of faith: trusting that God is on
our side.
The psalmist is
looking back to the time of the flight from Egypt, when the Red Sea parted and
allowed the Israelites to cross over, pursued by an army of Egyptians in
chariots. In these words they remind themselves that, because of the Lord’s
protection, they were NOT overwhelmed by the waves, nor did their enemy capture
them like easy prey.
We may not have
many examples as dramatic as that one, but if we reflect on the course of our
lives, we will be able to find plenty of evidence that God is on our side. This
is true even when we endure difficult situations, as the Israelites did on
their flight out of Egypt. Even though there are no promises in scripture that
bad things won’t happen to us—injury, illness, poverty, betrayal, grief and
even death are all part of the human condition—even though we know we are not
immune from the bad stuff, we can count on God’s mighty presence with us as we
face every difficulty. How much more should we be able to recognize that God is
obviously with us on the good days, which for most of us, far outnumber the
bad!
On bad days and
good, there are too many reasons, including simple distraction, that make it
hard for us to remember that God is on our side, always present in our lives.
If you are like me, you know what it’s like to chafe and agonize over the
trifling annoyances of everyday life—to worry about things that end up not
being worth worrying about. Sometimes we do face difficult challenges, and then
worrying seems impossible to avoid.
However, Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6, “There is no need to worry
about anything.” In all circumstances,
whether we make ourselves aware of God’s presence or not, God is there with us.
One of the most
important spiritual lessons I’ve learned (and, of course, I often have to
relearn it) is that it’s easier to change my behavior than my thoughts. When I
first heard a very wise mentor say that, I found it hard to believe. How is it
possible to be filled with a torrent of emotions, anger and fear leading my
thoughts in all kinds of directions, and behave with calm serenity? At such a time, how can I let go of
these feelings and trust that God is on my side? Bernadette, bless her,
explained that feelings follow actions, that if I acted as if everything
were okay, my feelings would conform to my actions. Even though I was very
skeptical of the wisdom being shared with me, when I tried to act as if,
I found Bernadette was exactly right. A change in behavior has to precede a
change in thoughts and feelings.
Remember what it’s
like being a little kid and having your parents insist that you stand up
straight, be quiet, and use good manners?
Maybe right at that moment your brother has done something completely
unacceptable, and you really need to give him a shove, but you have just
arrived at Aunt Sally’s front door and you know you have to listen to
your parents—or else. So, even though you have an interior scowl, you
straighten up and behave as you should. Later, when you think about it, you
wonder why you got so mad anyway and shrug it off.
That’s really how
feelings follow behavior, and it’s pretty simple. Feelings can be all about
drama, but behavior has to be about reality. The problem is, when we are
adults, we don’t have our parents around to tell us to straighten up and
behave. We have to tell ourselves that, and we are not always very good at
self-monitoring. Truth be told, when I am caught up in a feeling, especially
when self-righteousness is involved, the last thing I want to do is let go of
it and behave as if it didn’t matter. That’s when self-awareness, or the
spiritual practice of mindfulness, becomes essential. I have to listen
to the angel of my better nature, turn my thoughts fully to the reality of the
present moment, and simply behave as if all is well. I know all of you have
been there, too, and you may be better at this than I am. Letting go and
letting God takes practice, doesn’t it?
Ultimately we realize it is always worth the effort, and in the moment
of truly letting go, we can trust that God is on our side.
This process of
bringing ourselves to full attention is the reason why Richard Rohr says prayer
is “primarily a stance.” In his book on contemplative prayer called Everything Belongs, he says, “Prayer is not
primarily saying words or thinking thoughts.” By stating that prayer is,
instead, a stance, Rohr means that we truly pray when we let go of
feeling and thinking and are fully present with God, standing firm in the
assurance that God is on our side.
Remember the Red
Sea? Just before Moses lifts his
staff and stretches his hand over the sea to divide it, he says to the people:
“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and see the deliverance that the Lord will
accomplish for you today, for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never
see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.” (Exodus
14:13-14)
Those words hold
true today.
Amen.
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