2008-03-27 01:01:00
"He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us" (2 Corinthians 1:10).
We periodically enjoy drawing from past memories to illustrate a spiritual truth and some of the memories we have are somewhat humorous. In the church we served in New England we had a guest musical family from Canada. Early in the service we sang a song that spoke of God's delivering power. If memory serves me correctly it was the time honored hymn, “He Is Able to Deliver Thee.” Before launching into the song our guest song leader instructed the pianist to pause between verses and allow the people to share in a single word about God’s deliverance power in their lives.
Throughout the congregation one by one folks spoke out with responses such as "alcohol", "self-centeredness", "fear", "pride", etc. In many cases, as pastor, I knew their testimony and was blessed to hear them express it before others.
Then little four-year-old Kyle boldly raised his hand. I couldn’t imagine what he had been delivered from, but when he was called upon he spoke out in a very matter of fact way; "drugs." Well, of course he had never had a drug problem, but he had probably heard of drugs as something people were delivered from. Our church was located in a small city and we had our share of troubled people and those who had been delivered from drugs. You can imagine the shocked look on his mother's face! (That would have been a Kodak moment!)
But Kyle had the right idea for God's delivering power and there are many thousands who can testify to deliverance from drugs and many other sinful, destructive lifestyles. I have a friend on my heart as I prepare this message who really needs deliverance. He has a crippling addiction that is negatively impacting every area of his life.
God is still delivering people today. I have met many and have seen genuinely changed lives. The greatest demonstration of God's deliverance is His deliverance from sin. All true believers in Christ can testify to this miraculous deliverance. Paul wrote of the powerful work of the Father: "For He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:13, 14). What a great contrast – deliverance from hopeless eternal darkness to hope-filled eternal light. No promotion on this earth is equal to such a spiritual promotion!
In our daily verse Paul spoke of the reality of past deliverance and the assurance that God will continue to deliver. In this case it was his deliverance from the persecutions, hardships and even threats of death that were his common experience in ministry. "He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us."
Let's rejoice with His glorious provision today, fellow believer. Consider the "deadly peril" that God has delivered you from and praise Him! Call out to Him and trust Him for any deliverance You need in your life today. May we, in the midst of our present circumstances, "set our hope that He will continue to deliver us."
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Father, Your kingdom of light stands in great contrast to Satan’s dominion of darkness. As Your children we want our lives to be characterized by light, the light of Your Holy Spirit, who dwells within our hearts. Thank You for taking us out of the dominion of evil and placing us under the benevolent rule of Your Son, Jesus Christ. This brought about a great deliverance from our powerless life where we had no control over the evil one to a life where Your indwelling power can conquer any foe. You have not only delivered us in the past but You will continue to deliver us from the venomous attacks of Satan as we set our hope in You. In the precious name of our Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Chaplain Stephen and Brooksyne Weber serve with Transport for Christ. Click here to contact the Webers.
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