Psalm 124:1-8

It is healthy for us, at times, to consider the question “what if?”.  I say “at times” because there are some “what if?” questions that are dangerous and diabolical.  We must not question God’s sovereign and loving character concerning the future because that will only promote doubt and anxiety.  For instance, it is not wise for me to fret over the question “what if I get cancer or my child dies?”  We can certainly consider these questions and in some way prepare our minds and hearts to respond to such tragedies in a biblical way; but it is harmful and sinful for us to worry over these questions and begin to live in fear about them.  However, the psalmist in today’s passage is pondering the implications of life apart from the grace and mercy of God.  This is a practice that simply causes us to ponder the implications of a life lived apart from the blessings of God in order to promote gratitude in our hearts towards God.  When we consider where we would be apart from God it helps us to be grateful for the goodness of God in the past and present and it increases our faith in God concerning the past, present and future.  We can see in this passage two clear benefits to considering the question: “what if God had not…?”

IT PROMOTES HUMILITY: No matter how bad of difficult our circumstances might be, it is important for us to realize that they could be much worse.  As believers, this statement is always true.  No matter how bad things may seem to us right now, they would be infinitely worse if we did not have God’s gracious presence and provision in our lives.  We are constantly surrounded by sin cursed people and we live on a sin cursed planet.  Sin cursed people, apart from the gracious protection of God, will destroy all who dare follow the Lord.  The sin cursed planet, apart from the gracious provision of God, could easily swallow us up and destroy us.  However, we are blessed to live under God’s providential care.  Because of that care we experience numerous blessings such as peace, joy, love, mercy, kindness, forgiveness and contentment.  None of these blessings are available to man apart from God.  When we experience these blessings we must recognize that they come to us from the hand of God because of His grace and not by our own merit or because of our own human effort.  Were it not for the graciousness of God we would be dead, eternally lost and without hope.  That realization should fill our hearts with humility.

IT PROMOTES WORSHIP: This practice of contemplating our lives apart from God is kind of like waking from a very realistic and terrible nightmare.  We sit up in our beds panic stricken only to have a profound sense of relief wash over us when we realize that it was only a dream and was not real.  The truth is that if we have turned from our sin to embrace the cross of Christ in faith that God is most definitely with us and that He is most certainly gracious.  This reality should cause us to lift our hearts, our minds and our voices in praise, worship and adoration of our Lord.  God is able to deliver us from the evil plots of sinful men and He is able to protect us from the dangers of a sin cursed planet.  We must constantly remind ourselves that EVERY man, woman and child us under the authority of God and that every atom of matter, every storm in the sky, every drop of rain, every fault line, every spec of sand, every flame of fire, every heavenly body is under the direct control of our gracious and sovereign God.  None of these things can harm us apart from His control.  He is our protection; He is our help and our source of hope.  In light of these glorious truths there is only one logical and proper response, which is to fall before Him in joyful praise and worship Him.