Like a Bird From a Trap.... Psalm 124

What if?

Psalm 124

1. What if the Lord had not been on our side? Let all Israel repeat:  2. What if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us?  3.  They would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger.  4.  They waters would have engulfed us; a torrent would have overwhelmed us.  5.  Yes, the raging waters of their fury would have overwhelmed our very lives.  6.  Praise the Lord, who did not let their teeth tear us apart!  7.  We escaped like a bird from a hunter's trap.  The trap is broken, and we are free!   8.  Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

"Enlightenment is the end of suffering." - Buddha  

It is when you choose to end suffering that you make the conscious choice to let God do some of His best work...healing.  Psalm 124 instantly brings to mind the pain, fear and anguish I felt while I was part of two very harmful relationships...one with my step-mother, the other with my ex-husband.  I recall very much feeling engulfed, swallowed alive and drowned by the abusive nature of those relationships. I have often asked "what if" I had continued to participate in those relationships?  I wouldn't be the person I am today...I may not have even been here at all.

It is because of those relationships and God's grace in springing the trap and encouraging me to fly again that I am who I am today.  It is hard to be grateful for a painful past, and is only something I've only recently been capable of.  But had I not known that acute pain, I would not have known how deep God's love reaches.  So today I felt compassion for my deeply wounded step-mother and ex-husband, and expressed gratitude through prayer for their roles in my life, the lessons learned....and God's patient, undying love.

I start my day nearly every day with Psalms or Proverbs, usually Psalms.  I flip at random, letting my fingers wander...on not more than one occasion I have felt led to certain passages.  This morning I read Psalms 120-126, with 124 coming alive, right off the page and it has come back to me several times throughout my day.  I've often asked "what if?" about different life altering events in my life...each time being (gratefully!) able to point to God's hand leading me to higher ground, to safety, to healing.