“Whose side are you on?” How many times have I asked that question or been asked that question in my lifetime? Sometimes in the context of a debate . . . which position are you taking? Sometimes in the context of a sports match up . . . as in, which team are you cheering for? Sometimes in the context of a conflict . . . where declaring a side meant taking on an opposition.

And it seems to me that there are a couple of ways that someone can be on a side. One is as a passive observer . . . the other, as an active participant. In the one case, I take a position . . . in the other, I take action. I can be on someone’s side believing what they believe and standing for what they stand for but letting them do the footwork. Or, I can be on their side as in linking arms with them . . . as in exerting effort with them . . . as in doing battle with them.

This morning, as I read Psalm 118, I hear the LORD being asked, “Whose side are You on?”

The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. 
(Psalm 118:6-7 ESV)

If I’m okay appropriating the psalmists words, then the LORD is on my side . . . He is with me (NIV) . . . He is for me (NLT). And not as in “He’s rooting for me” . . . but as in “He is my helper.” God is engaged . . . present in my struggles . . . active in my battles. God is not just watching from the stands . . . He is not on my side as One who cheers me on hoping I can prevail in my own strength. Rather, He is on my side as One who has drawn alongside . . . as One whose power has been made available to me . . . as One who is involved in the fight through the active agency of His Holy Spirit within me.

He is on my side as a Father actively supports His child . . . He is on my side as a Potter whose hands intimately and intricately interact with the clay . . . He is on my side as an already victorious Conqueror who “has my back” in the conflicts of life.

To think that God is on my side is amazing . . . to know that God is on my side as my helper . . . beyond words!

It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.   (Psalm 118:8-9 ESV)

Sometimes, when taking it in the teeth, it’s easy to feel like you’re going it alone . . . to wonder if anybody’s on your side. In the midst of the fight there are times when you feel like you’re losing the battle . . . victory seems impossible . . . your determination is about done . . . your strength is about gone . . . apart from some help, you just don’t know how long you can stay in the game. In those times how we need to hear the LORD say through the Spirit, “Who’s on your side? I’m on your side? Who’s your support? I’m your support! Where does your help come from? It comes from Me!”

I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the LORD helped me. The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.   (Psalm 118:13-14 ESV)

On my side . . . thank You, LORD!