The sound of our oppression, of our bondage and of our shame, threatens to drown us out. It is overwhelming. The voice of the accuser, our enemy the devil, rings so loudly in our ears as it to shake our very souls. We begin to cry out ourselves to our Savior.

One of my favorite scenes in my all-time favorite movie occurs in the classic Casablanca, when Nazi soldiers mingle uncomfortably with the French occupants in Rick’s Moroccan café. The soldiers begin singing the patriotic German anthem “Die Wacht am Rhein,” which sounds about as terse as the German title implies! The French, however, begin singing “La Marsellaise.” If you haven’t seen the movie, it may be difficult to hear in your mind, so I encourage you to look it up online. The scene is readily available on sites like YouTube.

The two groups begin to sing against each other, dueling as it were. The song of freedom bubbling up within and eventually over the song of the oppressors. It is a stirring moment that gives me goosebumps every time as “La Marsellaise” eventually overcomes the soundtrack, and the resolute faces of the French singers gives the moment an even more triumphant air.

Psalm 144:7-11 is like that. The sound of our oppression, of our bondage and of our shame, threatens to drown us out. It is overwhelming. The voice of the accuser, our enemy the devil, rings so loudly in our ears as it to shake our very souls. We begin to cry out ourselves to our Savior:

Stretch out your hand from on high;
rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,
from the hand of foreigners,
whose mouths speak lies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.  (vv.7-8)

Read More