My Rescuer

Image: “The Lost Lamb” by Alfred Usher Soord (1868-1915).

I have been in some hard places in my life, some of my own making, some the result of other’s actions, and some through the ups and downs of life. Some were frightening, some were heartbreaking, and most were depressing. Two things were certain – I felt all alone and I thought my situation was hopeless. I’ve lived through quite a few of those places and I have learned some things I hope will encourage you through your own.
First is the promise that you are not alone in your hard place. The Lord God journeyed with the Israelites for forty years in a wilderness, through the desert and the rocky crags, through blistering hot days and cold nights and He never abandoned His people. But most importantly, He was faithful to them through their rebellion, failures, mistakes, and disobedience. He was with them in battle and in the drudgery of their daily lives. The entire book of Exodus is the story of God’s goodness to His chosen people. And lest you forget, others have walked the same valleys of hardship and heartache and are happy to journey with you through yours.
There is also the assurance that God will faithfully provide for you and me, even in the hard places. I marvel constantly at how God has met my family’s needs through the years. From car repairs to rent, groceries, school supplies, a place to live, a job, and even my education. God knows what we need and He is a good Father who cares about and for His kids.
But this verse from the prophet Micah speaks volumes to me about the hard places. “You will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued. There the Lord will redeem you” (Micah 4:10). I learned that knowing God is the most important thing in my life and you and I will only know Him through experience. I know He is the God who rescues His children because He has rescued me time and time again. Here’s the point: I would not know this facet of His character if I’d never been in “Babylon” – if I’d never been in need of rescue.
I am prone to trouble. But I know that wherever I am, whatever caused the difficulty, however deep the pit, God will rescue me because He has done so before. Beloved, hard places are not the end of your story. They are where God comes to your rescue. They are how you come to know your Redeemer.

Advent 2023: How Do We Get to Bethlehem?

“Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea . . . “Matthew 2:1

I had a conversation recently with a friend who is moving away. She is greeting this transition with both anxiety and excitement. “It’s all going to be so strange in a new town, but who knows what God has in store there?” I remembered my own move five years ago and that same mix of anticipation and trepidation. Like my friend, I believed God was behind our relocation and in the ensuing years He has confirmed that His will for me is here in this place. I believe God sets things in motion and orchestrates events so that His will is fulfilled. The Bible is filled with story after story of God’s hand in the events of human history, and in individual lives. But sometimes the path He chooses is hard and difficult to understand in the moment.

Joseph had a destiny in Egypt that affected his family, the forthcoming nation of Israel and the entire world. But God took him through pits and prison on the way. David would be king of Israel, but by way of the sheep fields and running for his life through the wilderness. I love the accounts of Paul; God had a purpose for him, to “carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel,” (Acts 9:15). He declared, “you must testify about me in Rome, (Acts 23:11). And he did indeed make it to Rome to declare the name of Christ Jesus, but he arrived as a prisoner, through a storm and a shipwreck and a snake (Acts 27-28).

Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem fulfilled a prophecy made hundreds of years before: “Out of you, Bethlehem Ephrathah . . . will come one for me who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times” (Micah 5:2). How could that happen when His mother and father were in Nazareth, some 100 miles away? Watch what God did. “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone when to his own town to register,” (Luke 2:1, 3). Guess where Joseph’s family town happened to be?

Beloved, a life surrendered into the hands of the Lord God Almighty may have twists and surprises, and yes even doubts and struggles, but you can be assured that He is faithful to fulfill His purpose. Don’t be afraid of these “strange things that are happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). It’s just God at work fulfilling His purpose for you.

From Babylon to The Rock

Ever been lost? I never had a good sense of direction – my mom said you could take me in the backyard and spin me around twice and I couldn’t find my way back to the house. She wasn’t wrong. One day I was leaving a church in an unfamiliar area and made a left out of the parking lot when I should have turned right. By the time I realized my mistake I was deeply lost and scared. I sat in my car and cried and prayed and the Lord gave me turn-by-turn instructions until I was back to familiar territory. In my ABCs of gratitude, G always includes my GPS.

There have also been times when I lost my way spiritually; when I forgot (or ignored) God’s Word and took a wrong path or followed the wrong person or chased after my own desires. Sometimes it was an honest misstep. Sometimes it was my own willful defiance. Whatever the reason, by the time I realized I was in a bad place, I didn’t know how to get out. Perhaps that sounds familiar to you. Maybe it’s your current situation. You said “yes” when you should have said “no.” You turned in the wrong direction. You trusted the wrong person. You stamped your feet and said, “I will do what I want!” And now you are stuck in the consequences.

I have a good word for us both. Micah was God’s prophet to both Israel and Judah. He prophesied the fall of both kingdoms under the Lord’s judgment for the people’s rebellion, idolatry, and unfaithfulness. And he also prophesied God’s rescue and restoration for Judah. The Lord said, “You will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued. There the Lord will redeem you . . .” (Mic 4:10).

The Bible is one long and beautiful account of God’s redemption. First, He redeems us out of condemnation through the blood of His Son. Then He redeems us out of our own personal Babylons – those places we go when we get lost in sin and indulgence and foolishness. David wrote, “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” (Ps 40:2). Beloved, wherever you are God will rescue you. It’s what He loves to do. From Babylon to The Rock.

Redeemer

“Lord, I do not understand. Why this battle? Why this hard thing? Why this discouraging place? Why Lord, is this happening?”

I wonder if you’ve said those words or something similar lately. Why does God allow these painful things in our lives? I believe it is to show us Who He is. God wants you and me to know Him. Over and over and over in Scripture the Lord said He allowed certain things to happen “That You will know me” and “That you will know that I am the Lord.” Think about it, I would never know God as my Provider unless I had a need I couldn’t meet. You would never know God as your Healer if you were never sick. We would never know He is our Protector unless we needed protection. If you never find yourself in the darkness, you don’t appreciate the Light.

There is a name that I believe God wants you and me to know above all the others.

I ran across a verse this morning in Micah, one of the small books in the back of the Old Testament. The people have rebelled against and disobeyed the Lord. God told them: “You will go to Babylon” (Micah 4:10). And they did. They were torn from their beloved home and exiled to a foreign land. It would be a very hard time. God could rightly leave them there. They deserved punishment for their sins. But He doesn’t.

He said, “There you will be rescued. There the Lord will redeem you.” God is our Redeemer – the one who saves us from danger, hostility, and slavery. That is the name I believe He most wants us to know. Because until you know Him as Redeemer, you cannot know Him as Provider, Healer, Protector, or Light. God revealed Himself as Redeemer when His people were in places of danger and distress and hardship. He redeemed them first out of Egyptian slavery. He redeemed them out of Babylonian exile. And He is still redeeming. He gave His one and only Son to redeem you out of bondage to sin and death (John 3:16). God redeemed you because He loves you. When you grasp that you cannot help but love Him too.

I know you may be in a very tough spot right now. But consider this Beloved, that hard place you’re in is the perfect place for you to get to know your Redeemer. Call out to the One who loves you with perfect, holy, redeeming love.