A God Who Delivers - The Crosswalk Devotional - December 16

A God Who Delivers
By Lynette Kittle

“He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us again. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us” - 2 Corinthians 1:10

Do you believe you can only ask God for so much help so many times, and then you’re out of luck, cut loose on your own because you’ve used up all your requests? If so, it’s just not true. Although most people and organizations tend to reach a limit where they are no longer willing to continue helping someone out of continual jams, there is no limit to the times we can turn to God for help.

As well, God doesn’t limit His help to those who deserve to be helped. He is compassionate, merciful, and tenderhearted, willing to reach out to those who have chosen their own destructive paths, individuals who many have given up on, believing they don’t deserve to be helped.

Like so many people nowadays encourage others to cut “toxic” people out of their lives, God doesn’t turn His back on even those deemed the most “toxic” of all. If so, there would have been no hope for any of us because each one of us was born with a lethal dose of sin in our bloodstream, “toxic” and tainted to the point of eternal death. Yet we can’t ever be too toxic for God to love us. Romans 5:8 explains, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God Delivers Those Who Stray
As well, no matter how far we choose to stray away from God, even in the most drastic situations where all seems hopeless, He is willing to deliver us when we turn toward Him. Consider Jonah who disobeyed and ran from God, finding himself caught in the deepest, darkest despair in a hopeless situation. Jonah 2:1,2 “From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said: ‘In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.’” Even there, God delivered him from the belly of a big fish when he cried out and repented of his sinfulness. “And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land” (Jonah 2:10)

God Delivers the Righteous
As well, those who devoutly serve God are sometimes caught in the hands of wicked men where there seems no possible earthly escape from their dilemma, like the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego facing an evil King. As Daniel 3:14 describes, “And Nebuchadnezzar said to them, ‘Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up?’”

“Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand’” (Daniel 3:16,17).

And we know, as the story goes, God not only helped them but was present with them in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:25).

Asking for Deliverance
Sometimes we believe we can’t ask God to deliver us when we’re facing troubles due to our own doings, but God is merciful, and even in the worst situations, whether we created them ourselves or caught the hands of evil men, we can ask God for help.

As Psalm 34:17 describes, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles.”
Likewise, Psalm 34:19 “The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;”
Furthermore, Psalm 37:40 assures, “The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.”

Intersecting Faith and Life:
What are you facing today, this week, or this coming year? Does it seem too much for you to handle? Are evil people backing you into a corner? Or maybe you have gotten yourself into a terrible situation? If so, know God is waiting, willing, and ready to answer your cries when you turn to Him for deliverance.

Further Reading: 10 Powerful Prayers for Deliverance When You Need Jesus to Rescue You

Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.