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578_Our help is in the name of the Lord (Psalm 124)

Psalm 124 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side—
let Israel now say—
2 if it had not been the Lord who was on our side
when people rose up against us,
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
4 then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have gone over us;
5 then over us would have gone
the raging waters.

6 Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth!
7 We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped!

8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

When Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948, the nation had barely been born before it was thrown into a fight for its very survival. Within hours, five surrounding armies—Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq—launched a coordinated attack. Many military strategists predicted the newborn state would not survive a week. Israel had only a few thousand soldiers, most of them farmers and teenagers. They lacked weapons, ammunition, tanks, and even proper uniforms. Many had not yet received basic training. By every human measure, Israel should have been crushed before it ever had a chance to exist.

But again and again, stories emerged of battles turning unexpectedly, of enemy movements failing at crucial moments, of small Israeli units holding off armies many times their size. One such event took place on the Jerusalem front. A small group of young Israeli fighters held the position at Gush Etzion, facing the powerful Arab Legion. They were hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned. As the Legion advanced, the defenders sent desperate radio messages: “We are down to our last bullets.” Yet somehow, for hours, they held back an army trained and equipped by the British Empire.
One Israeli fighter said later, “We didn’t win because we were strong. We won because we had no choice but to trust that God was with us.”

Even secular observers admit that Israel’s survival in 1948—and in several subsequent wars—was “highly improbable.” Former prime minister David Ben-Gurion famously said, “In Israel, in order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles.”

Those words echo what David wrote centuries earlier in Psalm 124: “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side…” David invites us to imagine Israel’s story—ancient or modern—without God’s intervention. Without Him, they would have been swallowed alive. Without Him, the floods of opposition would have swept them away. Without Him, the raging waters would have drowned their hope.

This is one of David’s Songs of Ascent—a pilgrim song meant to be sung on the journey to Jerusalem. As travelers climbed hills and walked through valleys, they were reminded of this truth: their existence was not a result of their own strength. Their survival was not because of their armies or clever strategies. Their story was written by the hand of the Lord.

David paints a vivid picture of danger. “Then they would have swallowed us alive, when their anger was kindled against us.” He describes enemies like raging waters—uncontrollable, destructive, overwhelming. That was Israel’s story many times throughout history, including in 1948. Surrounded, outnumbered, overpowered—yet somehow not destroyed.

But David does not end in fear. Suddenly, the psalm shifts into a cry of thanksgiving: “Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey to their teeth!” The tone is relief, gratitude, amazement. David then uses a startling image: “We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped!” A bird caught in a trap is helpless. It cannot free itself. Yet the snare suddenly breaks—and the bird flies free. That is the picture of deliverance: not human achievement, but divine intervention.

The psalm reaches its climax with the verse that has comforted believers for generations: “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

In Scripture, the “name of the Lord” means God Himself—His character, authority, power, and presence. His name is His faithfulness, His mercy, His righteousness, His strength. His name is His reputation—what He has done before and what He promises to do again. To trust in the name of the Lord is to trust that He is everything He declares Himself to be.

Throughout Scripture, this truth is repeated again and again. Psalm 20:7 declares, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 54:1 says, “O God, save me by your name.” And Proverbs 18:10 reminds us, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe.”

The enemies we face today may not be physical armies or hostile nations. Scripture teaches that our true enemies are spiritual—temptations, discouragements, spiritual attacks, lies of the enemy, and forces of darkness that oppose the people of God. These enemies cannot be defeated by our own strength, discipline, or intelligence. But in the name of the Lord—by His authority, through the victory accomplished by Jesus Christ—we stand firm and overcome.

Psalm 118 gives a dramatic picture of this spiritual warfare: “All nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!” The psalmist repeats it three times. He was surrounded on every side, overwhelmed like bees swarming, pushed so hard that he was falling—“but the Lord helped me.” That testimony is not just ancient poetry. It is the story of every believer who has faced pressure too heavy, temptation too strong, or fear too deep—and discovered that the Lord intervenes.

And this same Lord came near to us in Jesus Christ. His very name—Immanuel—means “God with us.” Jesus is the ultimate expression of the God who stands by His people. He walks with us in our valleys. He stands with us in our battles. He intercedes for us in our weakness. Just as He prayed for Peter, protecting him from Satan’s attack, He stands between us and the enemy, preserving our faith when we cannot hold on ourselves.

Paul assures us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that no temptation will overtake us without God providing “a way of escape.” Again, the image takes us back to Psalm 124: a bird escaping a broken snare. The escape route is always God’s work. It is His faithfulness that opens the door, His strength that breaks the trap, His presence that sustains us.

And Romans 10:13 extends the invitation to every person: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” There is no limit, no restriction, no qualification. Anyone who calls on His name finds refuge, strength, salvation, and hope.

So what does Psalm 124 invite us to do today?

It invites us to stop trusting in our own strength. To recognize our helplessness—not as weakness, but as truth. To admit that we are often like that tiny nation in 1948: outnumbered, outmatched, and out of solutions. It invites us to run—not walk—to the strong tower of the Lord’s name. To make His name our first response, not our last resort.

When the odds are impossible, call on His name.
When life feels overwhelming, trust in His name.
When fear rises, cling to His name.
When temptation presses in, cry out to His name.
When the enemy surrounds you, declare His name.

For our help—yesterday, today, and tomorrow—is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. And the God who upheld His people in ancient times, and in every generation, is the same God who walks beside you now. His name is your refuge. His presence is your strength. His power is your victory.

Run to Him—and you will find help that never fails.