Jesus Rescues and Delivers

Today I want to talk about the Lord’s power for deliverance.  There are many stories in the Word that tell about the Lord’s power to rescue and deliver His people from all kinds of situations and circumstances.  It seems like the Lord spends much of His time rescuing and delivering His people.

Noah is one example; it says this in Genesis 6:7-8, “So the Lord said, ‘I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.’ But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”  This should be an encouragement to every true believer.  It was a horrible, sinful time to live, but there was one man, named Noah, that found favor in the eyes of the Lord.  Was Noah perfect?  No, but he had a heart for God and God rescued him and his family because of it, also because of God’s mercy and grace.

Little has changed, from my understanding it took around 120 years to build the Ark and I am sure that in all that time Noah warned the people of the coming judgment, but no one believed him.  It sounds much like today, there are many people sounding the alarm but there are many that still don’t believe.  Now think about it, out of all the un-righteous people in the world in that day, God was concerned with the one who was just and delivered him and his family.

Think about Joseph, he was rescued from his jealous brothers and the lying wife of Potiphar, even from prison and was made second in command in Egypt.  God knows how to rescue His people.  There was Moses, Aaron and all the Israelites, they were rescued and delivered from the Egyptians because God caused the Red Sea to separate and they walked across on dry ground.  And what about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego and also Daniel and the way God rescued and delivered them.  I could go on and on all through the Word, where God has rescued His people through many means, including miracles.  

Not only in the Word, but also in our day, God has rescued and delivered many, many people including me, my wife and most of our children, praise the Lord!!  Every born-again child of God has been rescued and delivered from sins and many other works of the flesh, such as drugs, alcohol and many other despicable things and are now set free.  

There is a story in the New Testament where Jesus rescued His disciples from possible death and sheer terror, it is found in Luke 8:22-25, “Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, ‘Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.’  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!”’

If you have never been on the water in a huge storm, you can’t imagine the fear that can rise up within you, with 20 foot waves tossing your small boat around and water filling the boat, the fierce winds howling and you have no control of the situation.  How Jesus was sleeping in the boat with all that was going on, I don’t know, but I know He was; maybe He was exhausted.  Can you see Jesus getting up and rebuking the storm and then seeing and feeling the calm that followed?  

I heard a lady sing a song about the scene in this story and her introductory words went like this, “I believe that the mighty waves bowed down and said, ‘excuse me master,’ and they went back in place.  The sea became as calm as glass and the ship sailed safely to the other side.”  Later in the song she sang this, “A wave tapped the wind on the shoulder and said ‘Shh, that’s Him.”  I am not saying what she said is biblical, but I like the song and what she said.  

I wrote this to encourage you that even though we live in the last days and tough times may lie ahead; the Lord is still in control.  Maybe you have become fearful, wondering what is going on in your world today with things seeming to be spinning out of control.  Stay calm, the Lord knows right where you are.  He loves and cares for you, there is nothing He can’t handle if you will let Him and trust Him.  He can calm any storm that you are facing in your life, just like He calmed the storm the disciples faced.  So, be encouraged and rebuke that fear and start praising the Lord, which is good medicine, try it.  Something to think about, may God bless you and have a great day!!