Turning to God for help
October 25, 2023 - Wednesday, 29th Week in Ordinary Time
Psalm 124:1b-3, 4-6, 7-8
Psalm 124 begins with a declaration that “had not the Lord been with us”, the people “would swallow us alive” (Ps 124:2-3). The Pharaoh of Egypt was the first who tried to swallow God’s people ordering the murder of all the newborn Jewish boys. Then, there were the Assyrians and the Babylonians who destroyed both the northern Kingdom of Israel in 721 BC and the southern Kingdom of Judah in 586 BC. Then, in the last century, Adolf Hitler tried to swallow God’s people under a policy known as the “final solution”.
“Had not the Lord been with us”, the people “would swallow us alive” (Ps 124:2-3). Each year a Christian organisation dedicated to helping persecuted Christians, known as “Open Doors”, publishes a “World Watch List” of countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. According to their recent estimates for the year 2023, “more than 360 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith”. North Korea, Somalia and Yemen top the list and nearly all of the countries placed on the list are located in North Africa, the Middle East, and East Asia.
“Blessed be the LORD, who did not leave us a prey to their teeth” (Ps 124:6). Despite all the attempts at swallowing up God’s people, the state of Israel celebrated this year the 75th anniversary of its independence, while the Egyptians Pharaohs, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, and Nazi Germany are but a history. Despite all the attempts at swallowing up Christ’s disciples, Christianity is growing particularly in Africa and Asia where the persecution of Christians is at its worst.
“Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth” (Ps 124:8). In the Book of Isaiah, we find this statement: “All the nations are as nothing before [the Lord], they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness” (Is 40:17). Then, the prophet reminded his brokenhearted people that “the LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth” (Is 40:28). And so, like raging waters, the empires come and go but those “who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength” (Is 40:31).
Psalm 124 is a bold proclamation of Israel’s faith. What defines that faith is not the tragic circumstance of life but the Lord whose “understanding is unsearchable”, and who “gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength” (Is 40:28-29). Based on its historical experiences, Israel believes that the Lord can rescue His people from any snares in life. This proclamation of faith found its boldest articulation in the Christian proclamation of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Not even death is a match for our God. And so together with the psalmist, we proclaim that “our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth” (Ps 124:8). He will never let our enemies triumph over us.