God is FOR ME. PS. 118:6

It often feels the whole world is against us. We feel isolated and alone, frustrated and frightened.  Lets learn today that God is for us not against us.

Grateful That God Is for Me

From Growing Grateful by Mary A. Kassian

The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

— Psalm 118:6

When our family plays board games, everyone is out to win. It’s a no-holds-barred, every-man-for-himself, dog-eat-dog rivalry. Through our sons’ teen years, we often played Settlers of Catan. The battles were epic. Still, they were all in good fun. Mostly. But things took a turn for the worse when we expanded the game with cards that could be used as a method of attacking other players. This (and the ambiguous rules) started to create problems. Competitions turned into arguments and hard feelings. Some players felt that others really were “against them.” Things got so bad that we had to call it quits and find some board games that were less combative.

It’s one thing to have an opponent in a game — but having a real- life opponent is an entirely different matter. Especially when that opponent is out to do you harm. Some people think God is out to do them harm. Perhaps they’ve lost a job or encountered a series of unfortunate events. They look at the hand they’ve been dealt and conclude that God is not on their side. But according to the Bible, this is not true. The Lord is for you and not against you. He may not always answer your prayers in the way you expect. Nevertheless, He delights in your well-being (Psalm 35:27) and rejoices in doing you good (Jeremiah 32:41). Whenever life gets rough or people try to do you harm, don’t despair or be afraid. Remember that God is always on your side.

MEDITATION

How do you feel knowing that God is for you and not against you? Why do people sometimes struggle to believe that God is for them? What difference does it make to have God on your side when people come against you?

GROW GRATEFUL

Thank God that He is for you.

Excerpted with permission from Growing Grateful by Mary A. Kassian, copyright Mary A. Kassian.