DELIVERANCE IN PERSPECTIVE

Consider how I love your precepts!  Give me life according to your steadfast love.  Psalm 119:159

David seems quite frail here as he asks God to save his life for the ninth time in this psalm.  He pleads for his life based on how much he loves the Word, not by how much he keeps it.  He knows that God is primarily concerned about his affection, not a token sacrifice made because it was the right thing to do while his heart was somewhere else entirely.

Many of God’s children are taught that if you do this, God will do that.  God is put in a box and obedience is nothing more than God-control.  If I fulfill my list, God will do His part and keep my world in order.  The first time the wheels come off and a diagnosis of cancer penetrates my world, I find myself angry with God for not honoring His part of the bargain.  I rehearse my track record in prayer.  “I did all these things for you and you allow someone I love to get sick?” This kind of theology erodes trust and is reminiscent of the older son in the prodigal son story.

God loves His children and always does what’s best for them and the purpose for which they were created.  When in trouble, we pray for God’s intervention.  He honors us with His all-wise answers.  Consider Peter.  On one occasion, deep in the heart of a jail behind four locked gates, he was guarded by sixteen of Herod’s most decorated guards.  Yet, God unlocked his chains and opened all the gates for him to walk out into the dead of night.  On a later occasion, God allowed him to be delivered up for an upside down crucifixion.  Was God dependable one moment and not the next?  No.  I see the same pattern of answered prayers in Jesus’ life.  Fruitful ministry followed by a season of taunting, beatings, and eventual death.

David’s life was spared here.  He lived to write again another day. His trust in God wasn’t rooted in false expectations nor should it be for any of us.  On this very day, some are being beaten and imprisoned for their faith.  On this very day, another is being healed and is rising up from their sick-bed.  God is faithful to both.  Trouble and deliverance visit us all and I must trust God to order my life.  I know that I am a part of His redemptive plan for mankind.  My good days and bad days have eternal significance.

How often in my life have I prayed for deliverance.  You gave it according to your timetable and in some cases, I still wait.  You do all things well.  Amen