Deliver Me (Part 3)

Deliver me from harm.

I don’t mind flying but when there’s extreme turbulence I find myself praying harder.

On the way to Los Angeles on Wednesday, the wind decided to oppose our flight in an aggressive way. You know it’s bad when cabin service is suspended and everyone opens up their window shades to see what’s going on.

I thought this experience would make a good blog series: “Five Reasons Why I Hate Turbulence.” 1. It scares me. 2. I can’t get any work done. 3. I’m not ready to die yet. 4. I can’t get up and go to the bathroom (I didn’t need to go until that moment.) 5. It scares me (Did I already say that?)

However, what we have to remember is that our days are numbered by God, and until we’ve fulfilled His mission for us on this Earth, He will deliver us from serious harm (if we are prayed up each day).

The Apostle Paul understood this truth. In Acts 26, Paul, who had been arrested and sent to Rome, was pleading his case before King Herod Agrippa II, the Roman ruler over the territories outside of Judea. Paul shared with Agrippa about his initial encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. He said that Jesus told him: “I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles” (Acts 26:17). I thought, Rescue you? Wasn’t Paul called to go to the Gentiles and share the gospel? So why would Jesus have to rescue Paul when this was his mission?

The Greek word here for “rescue” is “deliver.” Jesus already knew that Paul’s own people, the Jews, would try to kill him, and even though many came to a saving knowledge of Christ, he would also face opposition from the Gentiles, the very people he was called to reach for the kingdom. No chains, no shipwrecks, no beatings or stonings would prevent Paul’s message of hope from moving forward. Jesus promised to deliver him from death until it was time to step foot in his heavenly home.

I believe he does the same for us today.

I’ve had some close calls. What about you? Sometimes I say:

“How in the world did I avoid that wreck?”

“It’s a miracle I didn’t die when I was hit in the head with a golf ball.”

“That sickness nearly took me down.”

But God delivered me. He still had more for me to do.

What has your heavenly Father delivered you from?

Instead of going through life fearful, why don’t we trust that we’re on this earth until the Lord says, “Times up.” When we take plane flights, let’s believe that God’s angels are surrounding the plane and that they’ll guide it safely to its destination. When we drive on the highway, let’s ask God to put a protective hedge around our vehicles, and then let worry go. Occasionally we might find ourselves in a dangerous situation. Let’s call upon the name of Jesus and ask Him to rescue us.

While God promises deliverance, it doesn’t mean there won’t be problems in our lives. Paul understood that, as he faced constant persecution and spent many days imprisoned. It simply means that the Lord preserves our lives until our mission on this earth is completed. It’s then that we experience a different kind of deliverance, as we are rescued from the problems in the natural realm and delivered into the supernatural arms of our heavenly Father.

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