With God on Our Side
What does it mean to claim that God is on our side when nothing is going our way or when tragedy strikes? There have been times in life when I faced challenges and people tried to gloss over how difficult things were by telling me to trust in God and reminding me that God is with me.
Sometimes that encouragement came from people who had no connection to the circumstances that were causing challenges and their words sounded judgemental and trite. Other times they came from people who had been through similar circumstances or their own challenging times and their words were not about what I should be doing, but about how they coped and they helped me have hope.
Prescribing someone to “trust in God’s will” or “trust God is with you” demonstrates an unwillingness to listen or to be present with that person yourself.
One thing I love about this hymn is that it is a community hymn. This is intended to be sung with other people as they recall the ways God has carried them together. As we walk through the most challenging things in our lives, one of the main ways God shows up in our lives is through the gift of others and through the gift of community.
Let us learn to be the presence of God to one another and help others through difficult times.
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