Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

August 24
Saturday


ON MY SIDE

READ:
Psalm 118:1-6
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The LORD is on my
side; I will not fear.
__Psalm 118:6
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After diminutive Olympic athlete Gabby Douglas captured two gold medals in the 2012 London Games, she made this proclamation: "God will never fail you. He's always on your side.

Sometimes this kind of statement by an athlete can be misunderstood. It can be taken to mean that if I'm competing against you in a sports contest and I have God's help, there is no way I can lose. But if we turn to Psalm 118:5-6, we get teh true picture of what this line means. The psalmist wrote, "I called on the LORD in distress; the LORD answered me and set me in a broad place. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear.

Another version translates verse 6 as "the LORD is with me" (NIV). It's the idea that when trouble comes into our lives, God, who is full of mercy and love (which "endures forever," v.4) will always be attentive to us and provide the protection we need.

We don't have to be an Olympic champion to appreciate this kind of divine attention. This is what we need when the economy falters and our finances can't keep up. It's what we need when a relationship we cherished falls apart. No matter what our situation, as Christ-followers we know where to find help, "The LORD is on my side." __Dave Branon
````````````````````````Be still, my soul__the Lord is on thy side!```````````````````
`````````````````````````Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;``````````````````
`````````````````````````Leave to thy God to order and provide__`````````````````
``````````````````In every change He faithful will remain. __Von Schlegel````````````
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In the midst of every trial,
God is on our side.

*********************Today's Bible Reading __ Psalm 118:1-6************************

1 Oh, give thanks to the
LORD, for He is good! For
His mercy endures forever.

2 Let the house of Aaron
now say, "His mercy
endures forever." 4 Let those
who fear the LORD now say,
"His mercy endures forever."

5 I called on teh LORD in
distress; the LORD answered
me and set me in a broad
place. 6 The LORD is on my
side; I will not fear. What
can man do to me?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

This psalm is the last of a series of songs called teh "Egyptian Hallel"
(Ps. 113-18; hallel means "praise"). These are so named because
Psalms 113-114 were sung before and Psalms 115-118 were sung
after the Passover meal to commemorate their deliverance from
Egyptian bondage. Jesus and His disciples probably sang one of
these songs after their Passover meal (Matt. 26:30). In today's psalm
of thanksgiving, the psalmist praised God for His steadfast love,
affirming repeatedly, "His mercy endures forever" (vv.1,2,3,4,29). In
danger and trouble, teh psalmist prayed for protection, safety, and
deliverance (v.5). Trusting in the Lord, and with the Lord on his side,
the psalmist had nothing to fear (vv.6-9).