When You Are On God’s Side

PREVIEW: President Abraham Lincoln was once asked during the Civil War if he believed God was on his side. His response was one that we would all do well to think about since it represents the only true guarantee of Divine help and victory. Lincoln said, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side, my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” Here’s the deal: If we are on God’s side, we cannot fail. If we are on God’s side, then God will be on our side, and our victory is guaranteed.

A Journey of Worship // Psalm 54:4

Come with great power, O God, and rescue me! Defend me with your might. Listen to my prayer, O God. Pay attention to my plea. For strangers are attacking me; violent people are trying to kill me. They care nothing for God. … But God is my helper. The Lord keeps me alive! May the evil plans of my enemies be turned against them. Do as you promised and put an end to them. I will sacrifice voluntary offering to you; I will praise your name, O Lord, for it is good. For you have rescued me from my troubles and helped me to triumph over my enemies.

Hallelujah! Surely, God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.

You will often hear people talk about God being on their side. Politicians, religious leaders, and even ordinary people like you and me toss that belief around like a pro athlete guaranteeing a victory in the big game. But just saying it doesn’t make it so!

President Abraham Lincoln was once asked during the Civil War if he believed God was on his side. His response was one that we would all do well to think about since it represents the only true guarantee of Divine help and victory. Lincoln said, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side, my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”

Here’s the deal: If we are on God’s side, we cannot fail. If we are on God’s side, God will be on our side, and our victory is guaranteed. David discovered that—the story can be found in 1 Samuel 23:7-29—which is the basis for this psalm. He was on the run from King Saul because the king was bent on having David killed. The young shepherd had just landed in the next of what had been too many hideouts, Ziph, when the people of that village turned him into Saul. The king seemed to finally have David cornered—it looked like it was game, set, and match this time.

But David was on God’s side—and God was on David’s side. Suddenly, just as Saul was ready to pounce, the king got the bad news that enemies on another front, the Philistines, were attacking, so he left pursuing the cornered David to tend to that concerning business. And David was once again delivered when there seemed no possibility of escape. (1 Samuel 23:27-29)

Was it a coincidence that Saul was distracted at that moment when he had David dead to rights? Not at all! You see, God was at work here, bringing about his purposes in David’s life. David was destined to be king, and God was teaching him how to be a good king. And good kings need to know that God can be counted on for help and sustenance when the king is on God’s side.

God wants you to know that, too. Even when there seems to be no way out for you, God is close by; he is working out his plan, teaching you how to be a king; he is showing you that he can be counted on to help and sustain you. And there is only one way to really learn that, which, like David, means that you will have to have your back against the wall so that the only way out is through a mighty and miraculous deliverance through the strong hand of God.

And when you are on God’s side, sooner or later, like David, that will be your story, too!