God’s Perfect Deliverance – 29 April 2020

I waited patiently for the LORD’s help; then he listened to me and heard my cry. He pulled me out of a dangerous pit, out of the deadly quicksand; he set me safely on a rock and made me secure. He taught me to sing a new song, a song of praise to our God. Psalm 40:1-3 (GNT)

Waking up each day to a changed world in which we’re confined to a limited space is a challenge, especially for those used to more mobility. Negotiating other complications in the “new normal” can also make us feel overwhelmed and insecure even in our homes, which probably helps us to better understand how the psalmist felt in his difficulties, and to take heart when we see that God came to his rescue.

What seems like an eternity as we wait now, will appear as a season when we’re finally able to look back on it; but it will have had a profound effect on us according to how we’ve handled the time and challenges we’ve faced. We will face a different environment so we need to be well prepared. What will make a great impact on us now, and affect how we ultimately emerge, is where we look for help.

David “waited patiently for the LORD’s help”; patiently because God had helped him many times before and he knew how He works. David wasn’t disappointed, because when God heard his cry, at the right time, He acted in power and effectively removed him from danger to safety and then filled his heart with joy – so much that he could sing a new song of praise to Him! Trusting God was the best thing he could have done.

When we look at the situation in faith, it enables us to see so many positives. God is not limited in power and His Spirit is never locked down; He helps those who cry out to Him for relief. This is a time for potential to be channelled. He is able to strengthen and inspire us just as He did Joseph, Paul, Corrie Ten Boom, and so many other Believers who were imprisoned and suffered so much through the ages. Our freedom is curtailed for our protection, unlike theirs.

Paul wrote letters to three churches while under house arrest in Rome – one each to the Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians – and one to Philemon, each encouraging the young church to see God at work through Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Would Paul have had time in his busy schedule of preaching and travelling if he hadn’t been imprisoned?

If we sow generously into this time and embrace it as preparation, we may well find lockdown too short but emerge richer when God puts us onto firm ground with “a new song in (our) mouths” to praise Him when this season is over.

Prayer: “May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give (us) grace and peace.” Amen. (Philippians 1:2)