When You Get to the Other Side of a Hard Situation, Don’t Forget to Thank God

Psalm 124 reads like a victory speech. Written by David, it describes his experience of being rescued from what seemed like a hopeless situation. It is unclear what exactly the problem was, but David used a trio of metaphors to describe what it felt like: a raging flood, a fanged beast, and a trap.

It was a contest between two opposing sides and things weren’t going well for the underdogs. At one point, David thought all was lost. The adversary was too big, too strong. He and his people were stuck, waiting to die.

But just as the flood of adversity reached chin level, God intervened. He graciously plucked them from the crisis. They had been losing badly but they emerged alive and victorious.

So with an attitude of gratitude and praise, David thanks God for what He did:

“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us alive, when their wrath was kindled against us; then the waters would have overwhelmed us, the stream would have gone over our soul… The snare is broken, and we have escaped.” Psalm 125:2-4, 7

It may be hard to believe it right now, but God is with you and for you. Like David, we sometimes feel overwhelmed by the odds against us. Trials of all kinds threaten to beat us down and destroy our hope for the future.

But there is still victory in Jesus.

Not only has He saved us from the domination and despair of sin through His cross, He also stands with us on a daily basis to help us dodge bullets, win battles, and get safely to the other side of difficult circumstances. In the inspired words of the Apostle Paul,

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”                    – I Corinthians 15:57

It’s a new day with God. Run with it.