If God hadn’t been for us
—all together now, Israel, sing out!—
If God hadn’t been for us
when everyone went against us,
We would have been swallowed alive
by their violent anger,
Swept away by the flood of rage,
drowned in the torrent;
We would have lost our lives
in the wild, raging water.
Oh, blessed be God!
He didn’t go off and leave us.
He didn’t abandon us defenseless,
helpless as a rabbit in a pack of snarling dogs.
We’ve flown free from their fangs,
free of their traps, free as a bird.
Their grip is broken;
we’re free as a bird in flight.
God’s strong name is our help,
the same God who made heaven and earth.
~Psalm 12(MSG)
Historically, the last verse has been part of church liturgies. These words state a community of faith’s intention to live in such a way that their faith is worked out with love. How this happens is a mystery that becomes reality through God’s miraculous help.
I have found the pronoun “our” helpful during my prayer times these past few months as people around the world find their lives devastated by hurricanes, earthquakes, shootings, fires and terminal illnesses. My prayers consist of few words. I simply hold in silence people I know and those I don’t know: those who don’t have homes and those who do, those who lost a loved one and those who did not, those who will die and those who will go on living. In the silence, I am reminded that I am not alone. Just as the communities experiencing these disasters pull together, I have no doubt there are many others holding silence in the same way I am. I am thankful God is not just my help, but our help.
Blessed are You, O Lord, who is our help.
And may our faith continued to be worked out with love through God’s miraculous help.
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