Psalms by the Sea

Delivered

Posted on by Betsy

Deliverance. What a curious word! Think of the many things that get delivered. Mail gets delivered. Pizzas get delivered. Packages get delivered. Babies get delivered. People in jeopardy get delivered. Souls get delivered.

Have you ever asked God to deliver you from something?

It is not uncommon when you find yourself in a place of great distress to ask God to deliver you from it. Illness, abuse, violence, unfulfilling jobs, hateful bosses, out-of-control teenagers … Lord, in your mercy, deliver us. Even atheists pray in foxholes.

I have had many a broken-hearted spouse come to me seeking God’s deliverance from the awful pain of betrayal. Sometimes God delivers them from a toxic marriage, and freedom is restored. Other times he delivers them from their anguish and facilitates forgiveness and reconciliation. 

One thing is sure: God is our refuge and strength. He is our Deliverer. 

Look at the beautiful language of Psalm 31, but before you do, ponder this: is there something from which you need to be delivered? Is there a sin, a destructive habit, an overwhelming loneliness, a feeling of shame, a debilitating anger, or a negative personality trait that is pulling you down? These things can feel like a fishing net that has tangled itself around your ankles. You can’t move. You are trapped.

Think of that net and imagine that you are at the foot of the cross, asking Jesus to cut you free as you pray this prayer:

Psalm 31 (New King James Version)

1 In You, O Lord, I put my trust;
 Let me never be ashamed;
 Deliver me in Your righteousness.
2 Bow down Your ear to me,
 Deliver me speedily;
 Be my rock of refuge,
 A fortress of defense to save me.

3 For You are my rock and my fortress;
  Therefore, for Your name’s sake,
  Lead me and guide me.
4 Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me,
  For You are my strength.

5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
 You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.

I’m sure you recognize verse 5 as the last thing Jesus said as he died on the cross. Jesus was quoting this scripture at the exact moment that God delivered him, cutting the crucifixion-net free and releasing his spirit as he left the earth.

So too will he do for you, if you trust him to release you from whatever has entangled you. 

You don’t have to stay trapped. You don’t have to be caught in despair. You may have done things that led you straight into a net that was laid out for you, but you don’t have to stay there. All you must do is ask to be pulled out.

Behold! Your Deliverer comes.

(From Psalms by the Sea, available at Amazon.)

Lead me, Lord by Michelle Robertson

Engraved on the Heart

Posted on by Betsy

Today’s Scripture comes from a time in Old Testament history when God was about to restore Israel and Judah and bring his people home. He had allowed the infiltration of foreign armies to come in and decimate them, but the time was coming soon for the people to be returned from the diaspora and reclaim their land. A lot had happened since they left, and their understanding of the Law, the covenant, and their relationship with God had been diluted during their time in Babylon and beyond. But God remembered his covenant and told the prophet Jeremiah that the return to their promised land was upon them:

Jeremiah 31 (Common English Bible)

27 The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will plant seeds in Israel and Judah, and both people and animals will spring up. 28 Just as I watched over them to dig up and pull down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring harm, so I will watch over them to build and plant, declares the Lord. 29 In those days, people will no longer say:

Sour grapes eaten by parents
    leave a bitter taste in the mouths of their children.
30 Because everyone will die for their own sins:
    whoever eats sour grapes
    will have a bitter taste in their own mouths.

Several generations had been born and had died during the time that they were away from Israel and Judah. The sins of the fathers had taken a toll on the children. But God’s new covenant with his people would be different. 

31 The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. 32 It won’t be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant with me even though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 

33 No, this is the covenant that I will make with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my Instructions within them and engrave them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 They will no longer need to teach each other to say, “Know the Lord!” because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord; for I will forgive their wrongdoing and never again remember their sins.

God desired now to put his instructions within each person, engraving the Law and his promises on their hearts. No longer would they have to depend on the priest to mete out scriptural teaching … God desired that everyone know him. And knowing him came with forgiveness of their past sins, which God promised to forget.

This scripture is a great reminder to us today of the importance of personal bible study, daily devotions, prayer, and meditation. We cannot rely on the pastor or priest for Scriptural instruction, but rather are invited to know God in our hearts and minds for ourselves. Considering that multiple Bible translations are right in your phone, that task has never been easier. How much of God’s word do you have engraved on your heart?

God desires to KNOW you and be known by you. Isn’t it amazing to think that the Creator of the universe wants a relationship with you? Thanks be to God.

Looking for a summer “beach read” devotional book? Psalms by the Sea is available at Amazon.