I called on the Lord in distress;
The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
The Lord is on my side;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
The Lord is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I shall set my desire on those who hate me.
It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in man.
it is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in princes.
The writer of this Passover Psalm sure seems confident.
The Lord IS on my side;
I will NOT fear.
Psh. What can man do to me?
Many times I’ve read this Psalm and become frustrated. It starts with a call and response. Every phrase the leader utters is chorused by all of the people saying, “For His mercy endures forever.” It’s like walking on a college campus on game day and seeing fans wearing the same color as you. You can almost whisper “Go Dawgs” or “Roll Tide” and get a loud chorus of responses.
This Psalm is too positive for someone riddled with fear… if only read in this interpretation.
Imagine saying these words in a different light.
Imagine Corrie Ten Boom whispering the words when the lights were turned off and the only sounds in the bunkhouse were the coughs of dying women and the claws of rats scurrying out of their holes.
Imagine a miner trapped after a partial cave in when a beam knocked his helmet off and flying debris ripped open his arm. He can’t stop his head from throbbing or his arm from bleeding.
Imagine a young 18-year-old from Iowa on a landing craft at Utah beach.
Imagine a first time mother in labor when alarms sound, the doctor yells orders, and a nurse drags her husband from the OR because the baby is in distress.
Imagine the last time you were paralyzed in or fleeing from something because of fear.
The words take on a different voice and a different tone.
You and I know that “His mercy endures forever.”
You and I believe that “The Lord is on my side.”
You and I know the answer to “What can man do to me.”
Today, grab a tape measure and determine the distance from your brain to your heart. This measurement has been called “The Fatal Cubit.” Why can we not move, metaphorically speaking, what we know in our minds to what we believe in our hearts?
You and I know that we have no reasons to fear because God is on our side. You and I know that we have an intercessor praying to God the Father on our behalf. You and I know the end of the story—Jesus wins. Maybe today, knowing is all that we can do. Maybe belief comes tomorrow.
What frightens you today?
Do you have to attend a meeting where your work is reviewed?
Do you have to visit a family member who remains in the hospital only to witness the evidence of life fading away?
Do you have to have a tough conversation with a teenager?
Do you have to confess sin?
Take a deep breath.
Say aloud, if only in a whisper:
The Lord is on my side;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
If you can, repeat the entire Psalm aloud. Jesus quoted many verses from this Psalm throughout His ministry. It may have been on His mind in the upper room and in the garden. The Passover celebration includes this Psalm crescendoes to it. Perhaps our days should crescendo to it as well.