Rescued

Have you ever been in a situation where you had to be rescued?  Kids get into situations far too often with bullies, where they need someone to help them or rescue them.  There are many situations in life where we will have to be rescued.  Some people need to be rescued when their vehicle breaks down, some experience floods or some other weather related situations that they need to be rescued from.  Some people need to be rescued from the hands of violent people and some need to be rescued from themselves, because they try to harm themselves.  

All of us have one thing in common, and that is we all need to be rescued from the bondage of sin and that could only be accomplished through Jesus Christ, the Son of the Most High God.  There have been multitudes of people that have been rescued from sin since Jesus walked the earth, and even though they were set free and were grateful for it, many suffered, being persecuted for their faith in the Lord.  After Jesus laid down His life for the sins of mankind by allowing Himself to be crucified, suffering severely, dying on our behalf, He was buried, then rose again on the third day and showed Himself to many people and was taken up to heaven; at that time heavy persecution broke out and King Agrippa had James, the brother of John, killed.  When he saw it pleased the Jews, he had Peter arrested also so he could do away with him, but God had another plan.  

While prayers were going up continually for Peter, God sent an angel to rescue him; it was a spectacular miracle, chains falling off, locked doors opening, guards sleeping and Peter walking out of the prison.  This was so amazing that Peter thought he was in a vision.  One of the things all believers can know is that God can rescue us from any situation or circumstance, but sometimes He allows us to go through certain things, maybe to accomplish something in our lives or maybe to help us grow in certain areas or for a vast number of things, maybe to help us rely on Him more and not on ourselves.  

This brings to mind Daniel, when he was thrown into a lion’s den, with some real hungry lions.  Daniel was not harmed because God chose to rescue him from the power of the lions.  This also brings to mind Daniel’s other three friends who got in trouble with King Nebuchadnezzar because they wouldn’t worship the golden image that he had set up.  When they refused, they were bound and thrown into the fiery furnace, which was so hot the men who threw them in died because of the flames.

Read what happened in this situation in Daniel 3:24-30, “Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, ‘Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?’

They answered and said to the king, ‘True, O king.’

‘Look!’ he answered, ‘I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.’

Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.’ Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire. And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.

Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.’

Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.”

Here was another situation where God intervened and rescued these three men.  If He did this for these men, what about your situation, do you have enough faith to trust Him for your deliverance?  Something to think about!  May you have a great day and may the good Lord bless you!!