There’s no getting around it. Sometimes you stand in need of nothing short of a good, old-fashioned rescue. You prefer to be calling the shots, standing strong, fully empowered and well able to steer events to a favorable haven; but now life has butted you up against your own personal Red Sea and trouble is closing in from the other direction. You’ve been here before and have seen God do some fairly incredible work to make a way of escape. This time, though? You don’t find yourself as sure of the outcome.
“Stir up Your might and come to save us! Restore us, O God; let yYour face shine, that we may be saved!” – Psalm 80:2-3 {ESV}
Did the Psalmist just tell God what to do or was he merely making a polite request? Those who translate the Scriptures into English supplied some !’s and declined to import the ?’s The context and tone of the Psalm necessitated that the tenor of the words be that of a plea so desperate that it comes off as a demand when we read it. Please don’t think me irreverent or even close to suggesting that God is some glorified bellhop here to do our bidding. Not at all. Yet I also want to mark the fact that very few believers seem to be willing to risk it and boldly incorporate the helpless-child-to-willing-Father aspect of their faith. We seem to view ourselves more like nephews and nieces to God in our own minds than gratefully remembering the fact that we are His beloved children. Nephews and nieces have a reasonable expectation that an uncle might help them should they have a need…but they aren’t exactly sure how far to go with that relationship. Sons and daughters? We can boldly expect that our good Father will leap into action when His children have legitimate need for help.
When it comes to your urgent need,
do you view God
as your uncle or your
Father?
Candidly speaking, I currently have something in my life that requires nothing short of my Father’s rescue. It doesn’t matter what my specific issue is – make it the same as your own personal need if you will. The truth is that I’m calling on God daily to do on my behalf what I know cannot be legitimately accomplished by me on my own. I cry with the Psalmist “Stir up Your might and come to save!” Weaker parts of me whisper, “You are setting yourself up for disappointment, Jeff. He won’t come through. What right do you have to expect Him to act so mightily on your behalf? Who do you think you are?” I don’t think I deserve it at all; it’s not about who I think I am that keeps bringing me back to His throne with my request. It’s all about who He is. He’s my Father. He’s good. He cares. He loves me. He commands me to bring my impossibilities to Him. He is pleased with my desperate trust. He’s lavish with His love. He promised to take care of me. He has forbidden me to go anywhere else with my needs. He wants the glory when the answer comes. He’s allowing me the opportunity to again learn what He does when I’m trapped between an army and the sea.
It’s not about who I am in asking…it’s about who He has always been in answering. He’s not my uncle. He’s…my…Father and, if you will excuse me, I need to go speak with Him now. I’m bringing my !’s with me today as I meet with Him in prayer. You should do the same.
Was it God Rescuing the Spys of Israel who went to the city where they found Rahab the Harlet and had her hide them from being captured?
What about Paul being lowered down the wall in a basket?
God uses men,woman that are not even saved to do his will.
God gave us a human mind and free will,logic ability to reason.
Sometimes problems call for knowledge,Logic or reason to work out.
Other times God comes to the rescue when we have nothing left like
David in the cave you preached on pslam 142.
I am in a Cave now how,when,where I will be rescued from disaster of
financial bankruptcy only God knows.I was rescued before he can do it again.
Do I just sit in my easy chair and wait on God to do something to find me
a job so I can be used to support the work of the Lord via tithies and offerings?
At same time totally trusting God? I am using my Human Intellect ,Skills
I obtained on job and Education to try to find a job at tender age of 62.
If I crash and burn so be it they can destroy the body but not my soul.
I have the riches of salvation in Jesus Christ I can’t take earthly riches with me to heaven.I have a home in glory the Lord has prepared for me.
David was rescued from his by the Lord using his human family and friends.
I have no other to trust but the Lord.No rich daddy or mommy here.
When my deliverance comes it will be via the Lord.
“Not because of who I am but because of what You’ve done”
“Not because of what I’ve done, but because of WHO YOU ARE”…
So thankful that we can go BOLDLY to our Heavenly Father…I can’t tell you how many times I’ve taken my !!!!!’s to Him….sometimes they’re followed by ?????’s and there are lots of times when I don’t get the answer as quickly as I’d like it. I’ve taken some of my !!!!!’s to Him for 33 years (that’s how old Kelly is :)) .
Love reading your blogs…they encourage and convict me often!!
I’m not saying that two men crying will make more noise than one, so might get heard more & answered quicker. Our gracious Father doesn’t work like that.
However, on the basis that Paul said “Brethen, pray for us” ( I Thess 5:25), and on the assumption he was already praying as regards his own situation, then I’m happy to stand with you & pray both with you and for you, brother … and look forward to hearing that the answer has come! (or should that be !!!! ?)
Part of what we are learning in our book study So You Want to Be Like Christ, is that Charles Swindoll suggests keeping a paper/pen journal during our quiet time with our Lord. My view of this is a personal, intimate dialogue with my Father where I can bring him my “secrets” my wants and needs. Putting these down on paper fully knowing that each one is heard and acted upon. But part of what is actively good for me is that I physically write these down… then,like the Bob Seger song, turn the page. Leaving the request with God, my Papa, and knowing that the answers are already written! All I have to do is to get to the right part of the book.