rescue

Helicopter, Rescue, Emergency image

Rescue!

By / 3 minutes of reading / , ,

Our home is like that 1970s mullet haircut, business in the front and party in the back. On our small front lawn, we have glorious flowers (thanks to my wife), hostas (wife, also), and a tulip tree. It’s a very 1950s yard and house, but the backyard is quite different. Our large backyard is full of flora and fauna. This is where I have my office – I guess I’m part of the fauna. 😉

We have beautiful birds, from hummingbirds to hawks. At various times, we have had a vixen (female fox) give birth to her cubs under one of our sheds, a red-headed woodpecker attempt to mow off the tops of several of our trees, and Canadian geese stop by on their way to warmer weather or back to their homes in Canada.

I am blessed by this constant backyard activity, surrounded by these friends of mine. I enjoy my friends, but for them, they are often in life-or-death struggles. They got my attention this morning. I am at peace while being surrounded by battles for survival.

For Christ’s Bride1, many, if not most, of our brothers and sisters live in actual life-or-death environments. Here at home, our children are under attack, our culture is fractured, many local churches teeter on the brink of collapse, and more and more often, Christians find themselves in challenging and unexpected problems. But we have God’s promises, and they are still reliable. Here is one of them:

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.

Psalms 34:7 NASB 1995

The “angel of the LORD” is singular2, but it is used in the same sense as the word “army” is singular. God is saying that an army of angels surrounds us; under the command of Jesus, they surround us for our protection. If we find ourselves entrapped by the enemy, they rescue us! This isn’t just a nice idea. This is a promise from God!

Right now, I have a grandchild that the enemy led into bondage. I know she is a child of God. I was there when she opened her heart to Jesus. I was the one that baptized her. I do not doubt that she is saved, but she has been deceived. She needs rescuing, and I am confident that the angels of God will break her free so she can return to the path of righteousness that we all are called to walk3.

So as I sit in my office, all around me are life-or-death battles. Satan fights against God, and God’s children are his battlefield. How marvelous it is to know that Jesus has already won this war. This is why we can say what Paul said: “for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day4.”

I pray that you will rest in Christ’s transcendent peace5 while doing His work in this world of troubles. And if we don’t meet while in our jars of clay6, we will meet in glory!” Amen.

Image by gabeincognito0 from Pixabay

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[1]: 2 Corinthians 11:2 NLT
[2]: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
[3]: Proverbs 4:18–19 NLT
[4]: 2 Timothy 1:11–13 KJV
[5]: John 14:27 NIV
[6]: 2 Corinthians 4:7–9 ESV

Joy Unspeakable

By / 3 minutes of reading / ,

Some of the most entertaining times I’ve had were times when I was privileged to sit around a dining room table, after church or a prayer meeting, with a group missionaries and listen to them trade stories of their adventures and misadventures. I’ve never laughed so much for so long and with such joy as during those times. Let me tell you a true story that happened to a missionary friend of mines, Davie Smoot.

During the very early days after Russia withdrew from Romania David was asked to come and preach with a Romanian preach, Pastor Paul, that he’d been in contact with. David took the train from Budapest to Cluj-Napoca, Romania, population 400,000.

Pastor Paul was going to meet David at the train station, but somehow, their wires were crossed and when David arrived no one was there to meet him. He couldn’t call anyone because he didn’t have a phone number. He couldn’t go anywhere because he didn’t have an address. And, he was hard pressed for help because few people spoke English. And, if you’re old enough to remember, America was considered an enemy by Romanians. David was in a pickle, so he sat down on his suitcase and prayed, “Lord, you brought me here so now I need some help.” 

David sat there for a few minutes and all of a sudden Bob Beer, possibly the only other person in Romania David knew walked up to him and asked him what he was doing there.

Bob is an Englishman that had lived in Romania with his wife and kids for many years. Anyway, David said, “I guess I was waiting for you.” Bob just “happened” to be at the train station to send off someone (I don’t remember who). So, he was not there to meet David, but all was well.

So, the only person, other than Pastor Paul, in all of Romania just happened to be at the train station at the time David needed help. That’s the God we serve. And God will do the same for you. He is an expert at rescue operations. I can personally attest to that. Maybe, someday, I’ll tell you about the time I was in a car rolling backward down a mountain with a telephone poll tied to the roof of the car. Great fun!

Being a Christian is the most wonderful, joyful, and fulfilling life anyone can have. And, yes, there are also fun times. The most fun I’ve ever had was when I was in the direst of circumstances, God comes in, in the most unexpected way, and rescues me. 

 Jeremiah 20:13:
Sing to the Lord!
    Give praise to the Lord!
He rescues the life of the needy
    from the hands of the wicked.

Photo by Aman Shrivastava on Unsplash

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