Psalm 118:13-14 - I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the LORD helped me. The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
Can you remember a time when you felt the kind of pressure that the psalmist wrote about in these verses? In his case, he had been surrounded by enemy nations who were seeking to destroy him. Not many of us can relate to that exact situation, but we all have seasons in our lives when we feel as though we are being pushed around and knocked over to the point of where we feel like we are in some sort of free fall, ready to hit the ground at any moment.
When these times come upon us, it’s easy to find ourselves falling into all kinds of thoughts and emotions. We can fall into depression, anxiety, fear or despair. We can fall into a place where we feel alone and hopeless. No matter what it is that is pushing upon us, the threat of falling is there. If you have ever seen someone become so weak or sick that they begin to fall while they are standing, you know how frightening that can be to just watch it happen. Imagine how it feels for the person who is falling! Feeling yourself become weak and helpless to the point of where you can’t hold yourself up any longer creates a feeling of desperation. Where will help come from now, we might wonder. Then imagine that you suddenly feel another person’s arms coming under your own, bearing the weight of your body so that you don’t collapse, further injuring yourself from the fall. Think of the relief that would come, even if you still feel weak and unable to stand.
This is what the Lord does for us. He is our helper in times of great need. He holds us up when we are weak and lack the strength to continue on. The help of the Lord can come in all kinds of ways, some of which we may not have even considered as the help we needed in that moment. Yet, he is always with us. There will never be a time when he will allow you to fall completely. Think back on times when you were pushed to the point of falling. Now think on what the Lord must have done to keep you from how far you could have fallen. You may not be able to see exactly what he did, but he was there, holding you up, supporting you, carrying you along until you could walk again. But then again, we always carry weakness with us, a sort of limp that will always require God to hold us a little bit.
This was the song of the psalmist. The Lord is our strength, always! Singing is proclamation, but done in a way that is both intentional and beautiful. We proclaim his strength because without it, we would have no salvation. When Jesus was surrounded by those who had put him on the cross, enemies all around, he trusted in the strength and love of the Father. Whatever you experience today, think on how the Lord has sustained you in the past, and proclaim that truth to yourself. His strength is with you today and you can know that he will be with you tomorrow and the day after that. Thanks be to the Lord, his steadfast love endures forever!
