Psalm 108 & 124 - Triumphal Songs of Help and Deliverance

LINK: Psalm 108 & Psalm 124 
(Parallel Amplified and The Message versions for fun)

BACKGROUND 

Psalms 108 and 124 are more "victory over enemy psalms." So, I put them here to complement Psalms 20 and 21.

Psalm 108:1-5 is similar to Psalm 57:7-11. Psalm 108:6-13 is similar to Psalm 60:5-12. It is a song of triumph.  David had the confident expectation that all His enemies among the peoples would be destroyed through God's divine help. 

Psalm 124 is special in that it is a Song of Ascent that I already explained here. It is a psalm rich in metaphors. Can you identify them?

REFLECTION (written in 2011)

I was praying through Psalm 124 in The Message tonight and personalized it:

Oh, blessed be God!
      He didn't go off and leave me.
   He didn't abandon me defenseless,
      helpless as a rabbit in a pack of snarling dogs.

  I've flown free from their fangs,
      free of their traps, free as a bird.
   Their grip is broken;
      I'm free as a bird in flight.

  God's strong name is my help,
      the same God who made heaven and earth.

I could go into detail, but I have to be careful and just say that I was once in the midst of a pack of snarling dogs (metaphorically speaking). But God did not go off and leave me, and He allowed me to fly free as a bird away from their trap.  I had been trapped in between those dogs for a while, and it had taken its toll on me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Once God delivered me, my kids immediately noticed a difference in me.  Every June 16, I celebrate another year of "freedom from the fangs," and I give praise and glory to God who did not go off and leave me.  God's strong name is my help!  YIPPEE!

APPLICATION 

God's strong name is your help too. Take some time to soak in Psalm 124 today. Do you now feel, or have you ever felt like you were being eaten alive?  If it was in the past, think through the situation and remember how God freed you, how you felt when he freed you, and give praise to God for freeing you. I will never forget the feeling I had when I walked out the door for the last time as a part of that pack of snarling dogs. It was a beautiful spring day, and for the first time in years, I was FREE and could breathe again. Reliving memories like this is helpful for you because they help you remember that He can do it again!

If you are currently in a situation like that now, pray through that. Do you believe God is for you or against you? 

PRAYER

Thank You that Your strong name is our help, God. Free us from the grip of the enemy, and help us to fly. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.