If the LORD had not been on our side – let Israel say –
If the LORD had not been on our side when people attacked us,
When their anger flared against us,
they would have swallowed us alive;

the flood would have engulfed us,
the torrent would have swept over us,
the raging waters would have swept us away.

Praise be to the LORD,
who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
We have escaped like a bird
out of the fowler’s snare;
The snare has been broken,
and we have escaped.

Our help is in the name of the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

The Psalmist, David in this case, has a flair for the dramatic. He’s in trouble, granted, but he feels it like a raging battle, like a natural disaster, like a near-death experience: flaring anger, swallowed alive, a flood engulfing, a river that sweeps away, a bird fluttering madly to escape its snare.

Actually, that feels about right for those of us who are overwhelmed these days by circumstances, handling crushing responsibilities, battling irrational anxiety or depression. It feels inescapable.

And yet … “we have escaped.”

God did not allow evil to have its way in our lives. We are still here. Through the cross, Jesus made sure that no anger or trap and evil intention against us can prevail. Even in death we are loved and provided for.

We have escaped!

Let’s begin our day of prayer together in gratitude! Our help is in the name of the LORD.

Andrew