December 11th Advent Devotional

December 11

Psalm 124

Our help is in the name of the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

                           -Psalm 124:8

Psalms 120-134 are called Songs of Ascent.  These were songs sung as the people went up to Jerusalem to worship.  The presence of God was in the Temple. 

Psalm 124 was written by David as a song of thanksgiving, because God had delivered the people.  It could also be called a Song of Descent, since God came down to Earth to save mankind. 

Advent is about God coming down to Earth as “Immanuel,” which means God with us. But what if God was never with us? What if Jesus had never become Immanuel? Thankfully, we don’t have to find out. 

During the Advent season, we celebrate Christ’s coming to earth, and we also anticipate his second coming.  The Passion Translation phrases David’s words in Psalm 124 like this:

“We can praise God over and over that he never left us! God wouldn't allow the terror of our enemies to defeat us. We are free from the hunter's trap; their snare is broken and we have escaped! For the same God who made everything, our Creator and our mighty maker, he himself is our helper and defender!”

God is for us.  He is on our side.  He protects us every step of the way throughout our lives.  This passage connects to Romans 8:31-34, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Ann Nored