God Our Rescuer
We read in Psalm 91:15, “When they call to me, I will answer them; when they are in trouble, I will be with them. I will rescue them and honor them.” (GNB)
As we continue our study on Psalm 91, we will meditate in depth on verse 15. While verses 1 to 13 are a dialogue between two people, verses 14 to 16 are the very words of God. These verses describe in detail all that God is ready to accomplish in the lives of those who make Him their sole refuge.
I would wish to high-light the second part of verse 15 which is ‘when they are in trouble.’In this verse the Lord addresses the troubles and fears that assail us as human beings. As long as we live on this earth we will be confronted with various perils and dangers, which often fill our hearts with apprehension about the future. God’s word of assurance is that He will Himself be with us in the midst of all our troubles. Therefore, for those who have trusted in the Lord and made Him their refuge, there is no need to fear, because the Lord has promised to be with us.
The Bible recounts in detail the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and David, all of whom were challenged with dangers and oppositions from kings. The Lord was able to deliver them from the hands of these oppressors. There are others like Jacob and Joseph who faced hardships from their own family members. However, when they relied on God, the Lord brought them out triumphant and blessed them abundantly. The apostle Paul, faced threats and objection from false brothers, who aimed at his downfall, but the Lord rescued him from them all.
One important lesson that we learn from this verse is that for a righteous person, who is totally dependent on God, he or she will encounter many trials and difficulties. If we decide to follow the Lord and walk in His ways, we will be challenged with hardships of all kinds, but the Lord is faithful and He will deliver us from all of these calamities. We can therefore lay all of our problems at the feet of the Lord Jesus and believe that the Lord who is with us will bring speedy deliverance.
The troubles of the righteous are many
We read in Psalm 34:19, “The righteous person has many troubles, but the LORD rescues him from all of them.” (GW)
Our human tendency in the midst of our hard situations, is to wonder as to why God is allowing us to go through all of this. The story is told of a man who was going through such arduous times that he questioned God as to why he was left to handle all these innumerable difficulties all by himself. He had a dream that night and in that dream, as he and the Lord walked along the beach, there were two sets of footprints, one of his and one of the Lord. This was the scene through all the calm, peaceful and joyful seasons of his life. However, when the seasons of his life were darkest, saddest and most troublesome, he noticed there were only one set of footprints. The man asked the Lord why this was so, to which the Lord whispered, ‘My precious child, I love you and will never leave you and never, ever during your trials and tests. When you saw one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.’
Let us hold on to the promises of God through all those valley like experiences, when circumstances seem darkest, knowing that the Lord will most certainly rescue us from all of them.
A person whom I spoke to told me, when troubles come they never come singly, but always in clusters. It may be true in a sense, but we have the affirmation that the Lord will liberate us from every one of these problems without fail.
The cloud of witnesses encourage us
We read in Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…” (ESV)
The Bible is filled with examples of those who endured such trials, trusted in the Lord and came out victorious. These witnesses are mentioned to us so we can find encouragement from their lives, read the word and stand firm in the faith. When we do so the Lord will surely free us from all these difficulties that entangle us.
Let us study some of the incidents recorded in the Bible to see how we can have our own faith strengthened in the Lord.
1. God delivered Hagar
In Genesis 16:13,“And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou art a God that seeth: for she said, Have I even here looked after him that seeth me?”(KJV)
As we read this incident recorded in Genesis 16, Hagar was in a very precarious situation. She had conceived Abram’s son and began to taunt her mistress Sarai. Sarai was so annoyed with Hagar that she began to treat her harshly and demanded that Abram deal with Hagar firmly. This was Abram’s response to Sarai as we read in the verse below.
We read in Genesis 16:6,“But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her that which is good in thine eyes. And Sarai dealt hardly with her, and she fled from her face.” (RV)
When Hagar was ill-treated by Sarai, instead of facing these hardships, she decided to flee from her mistress. Hagar did not take time to ponder for a moment as to the consequences of such a decision. She did not comprehend all the perils that she would encounter when she decided to flee into the wilderness. God however, graciously stood beside Hagar and instructed her to go back to the house of Abram and to stay submissive to Sarai, no matter how difficult it was.
When Hagar obeyed God and returned back to her mistress’ house, this is what happened to her.
We read in Genesis 16:15,“And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called the name of his son, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.” (RV)
The same Abram who gave Sarai the liberty to do with Hagar any way she wished, accepted her back and named the son born to Hagar as Ishmael. Hagar obeyed God and the Lord intervened to change the situation around for her own good and safety.
Many people when challenged with difficulties, look for ways to escape the situation at hand. There are those who constantly keep saying that they wish to run away from the crisis they are facing, instead of realizing that God is with them right where they are. With God’s help and strength there is no problem that we cannot overcome. Those who trust in the Lord and depend on Him will never be put to shame. Sometimes like Hagar, we too must be willing to wait for God’s timing and not be in haste to take matters into our own hands. Instead of letting the circumstances of things in our life or family overwhelm us, we must hold on to the promise thatGod is with us and He will liberate us from all our difficulties.
2. God strengthened Gideon
We read in Judges 6:12,“And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.” (RV)
At this point in history, the Israelites along with Gideon were being greatly oppressed by the Midianites. The people of Israel worked hard in their fields and vineyards and when the time of harvest drew near, the Midianites invaded in vast numbers and plundered all of their produce. As the people of Israel lived in dread of the Midianites, Gideon too was filled with dismay. Gideon secretly threshed wheat in a winepress and hid himself for fear of being found by the powerful Midianites. Gideon was confused, his mind filled with umpteen unanswered questions about God and His power to bring deliverance to His people. It was at this juncture that the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon with these words as mentioned above.
We read about the condition of the Israelites in Judges 6:6,“And Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD.”(RV)
In their desperation the Israelites cried out to the Lord and the Lord heard their cry. The Israelites were so scared of the Midianites that they hid in rocks and caves, unable to live and move freely in their own land. It was at such a time that angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and encouraged him to not be afraid, reminding him that the Lord Himself was with him and that He was surely going to set His people free.
Here’s the words of confidence that God gave to Gideon in Judges 6:16,“The LORD answered, "You can do it because I will help you. You will crush the Midianites as easily as if they were only one man."”(GNB)
These are amazing words of reassurance from God to Gideon. Though the Midianites were a numerous and daunting lot, the Lord bolstered Gideon’s confidence that when He was with him, he would destroy and crush the Midianites as though they were just one man. This was not because Gideon was bold and strong, but because the Lord intervened to transform him into a mighty man of valor. God used Gideon to deliver the Israelites and completely rid them of the torment from the Midianites. The Israelites who felt small and insignificant, were restored back to their former days of prosperity and honor.
Every time we encounter those difficult situations that are beyond our control, we too must learn to cry out to God. When we do so, God will have compassion and come down to help us, just as He did for the people of Israel. There are situations which should not make us weary, but rather motivate us to place our trust in the Lord. For those who feel their lives are inconsequential or feel rather subdued, the Lord comes to remove our fears and give us the confidence to go on to greater heights. If the Lord intervenes, those around us will marvel to see the wonders that He will perform in our lives.
3. God rescued the Hebrew men
We read in Daniel 3:14, He said to them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you refuse to worship my god and to bow down to the gold statue I have set up?” (GNB)
King Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon made a really tall statue of gold and sent out a decree that all the people in his kingdom should bow down and worship this idol. However, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who were Israelites in exile, refused to pay obeisance, for they only believed and worshipped the true and living God. When the King enquired about their non-compliance to his order, they were vehement to declare that they would worship none other than the God of Israel.
In Daniel 3:19-21, we read, “Then Nebuchadnezzar lost his temper, and his face turned red with anger at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So he ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual. And he commanded the strongest men in his army to tie the three men up and throw them into the blazing furnace. So they tied them up, fully dressed—shirts, robes, caps, and all—and threw them into the blazing furnace.” (GNB)
King Nebuchadnezzar was so enraged with the three young men that his face was flushed and he ordered that the furnace be heated seven times more severely than it was meant to be. They were also tied so tightly by his mighty men from the army, so that they would have no way to escape. The King did all he could to torment the three men as he knew best. The three young men were now thrown into the fiery furnace fully dressed up and bound with ropes.
We read in Daniel 3:24-25, “Suddenly Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement. He asked his officials, "Didn't we tie up three men and throw them into the blazing furnace?" They answered, "Yes, we did, Your Majesty." "Then why do I see four men walking around in the fire?" he asked. "They are not tied up, and they show no sign of being hurt--and the fourth one looks like an angel."” (GNB)
What happened at the end of this incident blows our mind. As King Nebuchadnezzar, gazed intently into the furnace, he noticed something strange. They had thrown three men in, but in the midst of the furnace were four men, walking around in the fire, unhurt and unharmed. The fourth one King Nebuchadnezzar recognized was the angel of the Lord who was sent to rescue these faithful young men.
Have you noticed how some people will react when they see us? Their expressions will be bitter when they meet us, sometimes for no apparent reason. We should not let these reactions of people affect us in any way. Sometimes when Satan tries his best to defeat us with all his cunning schemes, we can be certain that the Lord will deliver us out of them all. Our God is the Almighty, all-powerful God and no power on earth can prevail against Him. Even in the midst of the fiercest of furnace like situations, the Lord is well able and willing to liberate us.
I do not know what kind of burdensome situations you are facing today. One thing I can assure you is that the Lord knows and He is prepared to mediate to transform our circumstances favorably. All we must do is to call unto Him to come in and take control of our situations. Sometimes we may come up with some thoughts or ideas to try and solve our complex circumstances. If we commit it to the Lord, He has myriad ways to solve the issues we face, and He can do things way beyond our thinking and understanding. The Lord knows our heartaches, he is mindful of our tears and He will surely come to deliver us.
If you are wondering how you can call on this God, the word of God exhorts us that as many as received Him God has given the right to become sons and daughters of God. In every area of our lives be it our family, our work, our relationships, the Lord will negotiate and give us triumph over every hardship and trial that we are undergoing. God has promised those who trust Him completely that when we are in trouble, He will be with us and will definitely deliver us from all of them.
Pastor F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by Sis. Esther Collins
