If the Lord had not been on our side . . . if the Lord had not been on our side. . . .

— Psalm 124:1-2

“You remember me, Pastor?”

He stood outside the door of the church, a smile across his face. Squinting at him for a few seconds, I finally recognized him. Five years earlier, Terrell had been 50 pounds lighter and in the grip of an unforgiving substance addiction. He stood smiling, confident, with his arm outstretched and a 50-dollar bill in his hand.

“I know it’s not much, but if it had not been for God placing me in this ministry at that moment in my life, I don’t want to imagine where I would be. This place kept me going—meals, clothes, and a home for me. I thank God for you! Please use this to help somebody.”

Dr. Margaret Douroux wrote a song based on Psalm 124 that I often find myself humming: “If it had not been for the Lord on my side, tell me, where would I be? Where would I be?”

I thank God for Terrell. I thank God for the gifts he came with that day—his spirit, his encouragement, and his monetary contribution. Trusting and allowing others to walk with and encourage him took great humility on his part. I struggle to have that level of humility. And yet that sort of vulnerability opens a way for Christ to draw us closer as his community. If the Lord had not been on your side, where would you be?

Lord, give us the humility to look back and ask, “If you had not been on our side, where would we be?” Give us gratitude for your faithfulness. Amen.