Psalm 34 Deliverance

17The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;

he delivers them from all their troubles.

18The Lord is close to the brokenhearted

and saves those who are crushed in spirit.19The righteous person may have many troubles,but the Lord delivers him from them all; (Psalm 34:17-19)

Thoughts: It is not that the righteous- and those who pursue righteousness- do not have trouble.  Their problems are real and are hurtful.  Verse 19 says they are many. The point here, rather, is that God delivers us from all our troubles, brokenheartedness, and afflictions.  The cross is the ultimate example.  It was not just brokenness in body that Jesus suffered.  It was also brokenheartedness that Jesus suffered.  Those He loved mocked Him, betrayed Him, deserted Him.  The rulers of His own people tried and mocked Him.  But the cross is not the end of the story- the resurrection is.  Our trials are not the end of the story either. God's deliverance from them is the end of the story. 

Prayer: Lord, help me remember you are the God of the end of the story.    

1/17/12- Deliverance

Heidelberg Q. 2- How many things are necessary for thee to know, that thou, enjoying this comfort, mayest live and die happily?
Answer: Three; the first, how great my sins and miseries are;  the second, how I may be delivered from all my sins and miseries; the third, how I shall express my gratitude to God for such deliverance.

Thoughts: On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I am straying away from the Westminster Shorter Catechism for a moment to think about freedom and deliverance.  The Heidelberg Catechism has some excellent statements about these.  It is a bit ironic- but it is true- that in order to find comfort in life, we must know where our misery lies.  Our slavery lies in our sin.  Slavery is a sin, but sin also can become slavery.  Sin is a slavery that can effect rich, poor, black, white, male, female, people of all nations and language groups.  Drug and alcohol addicts know this clearly, but all sin can become- not just bad habits- but addictions that lead to self destruction.  Something must happen in order for us to really say, "Free at last, free at last; thank God almighty I'm free at last."  Real freedom comes when we are free physically, mentally, socially, but ultimately and eternally-- spiritually.  Jesus Christ offers us deliverance by his payment for sin on the cross.  For that we should express gratitude.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for showing us our misery and showing us how to escape it.  Set me free from my sin and free me to have your joy as my strength.