Connect Psalm 118:6 with Romans 8:31 about God's support for believers. Setting the Scene Psalm 118 was sung by pilgrims coming to Jerusalem, while Romans 8 crowns Paul’s teaching on salvation. Both passages meet at one radiant truth: when the LORD is for His people, opposition loses its power. Psalm 118:6—Confidence Grounded in Covenant “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” • The psalmist speaks as one standing inside God’s covenant love (“hesed”), already proved through rescue (vv. 5, 13). • The phrase “on my side” literally means “for me,” linking the verse to God’s promise, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). • Because the LORD’s presence is personal and active, fear melts away; human threats shrink to nothing. Romans 8:31—Confidence Grounded in Christ “What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” • “These things” include foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, and glorification (vv. 29-30). • God is “for us” through the finished work of His Son (v. 32) and the indwelling Spirit (vv. 26-27). • Any adversary—sin, Satan, persecution, even death—cannot overturn God’s verdict of “righteous” pronounced in Christ (vv. 33-39). Common Thread—God’s Unshakeable Support Both verses declare: 1. God Himself stands with His people. 2. Because He stands with them, fear of human opposition is irrational. 3. The assurance is rooted in His character, not in our circumstances. Psalm 118 shouts this truth from the vantage point of Old-Covenant deliverance; Romans 8 proclaims it from the higher ground of New-Covenant redemption. Same God, same pledge, fuller revelation. Living Out This Assurance Today • Reject paralyzing fear: “Do not fear, for I am with you” (Isaiah 41:10). • Rest in Christ’s intercession: “He always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25). • Persevere under pressure: “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). • Speak truth to anxiety: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6, citing Psalm 118:6). • Remember your security: “No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:29). Further Scriptural Echoes • 2 Chronicles 32:7-8—Hezekiah to Judah: “With us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.” • Psalm 56:11—“In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” • 1 John 4:4—“Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” Takeaway in a Nutshell From the pilgrim road of Psalm 118 to the soaring heights of Romans 8, Scripture insists: God’s presence with His people is decisive. When He is for us, every enemy is already outmatched, every fear already answered, every future already secured. |
    |