Psalm 124

Israel and the church throughout the ages have known what it is to face opposition. But the Lord is faithful to His eternal purpose, and to the promises that He has made to His children. Where would we be without the Lord?

Even as Jesus was going to the cross, He warned the daughters of Jerusalem that the immediate future would not be easier than the present. He said in Luke 23:28-31, “... Weep for yourselves and for your children. For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

Who could have known of the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps? Who could have guessed that Jews who embrace Jesus as Messiah would be persecuted even today by fellow Jews who reject Jesus as Messiah? Who could have predicted the coming of Islam, and the hatred and mortal danger that Muslim-born believers in Christ would face from their neighbors? Who would have guessed that the modern nation of Israel would even arise, and that she would be surrounded by enemies on all sides who all believe that she should not exist?

If it had not been the LORD who was on our side—
let Israel now say—
if it had not been the LORD who was on our side
when people rose up against us,
then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have gone over us;
then over us would have gone
the raging waters.

Jesus promised His disciples, not that they would merely survive, but that they would bring a conquest of love throughout the earth. He told them that the gates of hell would not prevail against them. This conquest would not be won through the use of the weapons of this world, but through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Faith working through love will win through you. This does not mean an absence of opposition. The cross as a model for church victory is a continual reminder of the reality of enemies. The love that God works through His church, love for Jews and Gentiles, is cross-love. We are looking to serve. We are wanting to be more like Christ who had true suffering love. We believe that this kind of heaven-sent love wins.

Nonetheless, we do not want Israel and the church to be prey for the teeth of their enemies. We are not in favor of persecution, injustice, and brutality. We trust that the Lord is able to provide a way of escape in every trial.

Even if we pay the ultimate price of faith, we have been singing these words for centuries: “The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever.”

Death was not the end for Jesus. He had a kingdom that His enemies could not touch. This kingdom and the King of the kingdom is our only hope.

The thief on the cross made this plea: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

The Lord who made heaven and earth has come in person to save us through His death. He died for us, and He rose from the dead in triumph. He has come into His kingdom. Our help is in His Name. He will never forget us.