“I will love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.” Psalm 18:1-3 NKJV
In this series we are exploring the protective nature of God revealed in scripture, specifically how he is a refuge for his people. God communicates these ideas all throughout scripture, that he is a place of safety and security.
When we think of God’s protection, doesn’t that usually mean prevention? When we ask him for protection for ourselves or our loved ones from harm or from evil, aren’t we asking him to prevent anything bad from happening, by whatever means he has at his disposal?
What if God’s protection is bigger than that?
In the previous installments of this series we looked at God as Rock and God as Fortress, both of which reveal a measure of prevention in God’s protective nature. But what if his providence also includes rescue and restoration as dimensions of protection?
Deliverance is defined as the act of rescuing or liberating. In order to be rescued or liberated, you first need to be in a situation that requires it. I don’t know about you, but I try really hard to avoid those circumstances. I pray, I trust, I take my vitamins, and I do my best to walk the path set before me. And as we’ve learned, staying close to God and abiding in the shadow of the Almighty is the safest place to be, but that doesn’t stop every bad thing from happening. We are fallible people living in a fallen world. And whether by our own choosing or by happenstance or because we are caught up in a spiritual war between two kingdoms, there will be times when we need to be rescued.
The heart of our heavenly Father is full of fierce love and unfailing mercy, and he has been rescuing and freeing his people from the beginning. The Lamb of God was slain from the foundation of the world. When Jesus arrived, he revealed the heart of his mission when reading from the scroll of Isaiah.
Bring good news to the afflicted.
Bind up the broken hearted.
Proclaim liberty to captives.
Freedom to prisoners.
Comfort all who mourn.
A proclamation of love and deliverance. He came to seek the lost and restore what was stolen.
David knew this intimately, writing, “He brought me forth also into a broad place; He rescued me, because he delighted in me.” (Psalm 18:19)
When the captives are freed, the prisoners released, the broken and wounded made whole, God makes things new. He doesn’t restore you to your former condition, he upgrades you. He moves you forward. That is incredible grace at work. That is redemption.
They will be called oaks of righteousness.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins.
They will raise up former devastations.
They will repair ruined cities, desolations of many generations.
You will be called priests of the Lord.
You will be spoken of as ministers of our God.
You will eat the wealth of nations.
Instead of your shame you will have a double portion.
Everlasting joy will be yours.
God is your Rock. God is your Fortress. God is your Deliverer.
His protection is before you, beside you, and behind you.
Future. Present. Past.
Friends, rest in the capable, safe and protective hands of your heavenly Father today. Whatever you are facing, whatever you see before you or behind, know that God is able to bring you through victoriously. He causes all things to work together for good to those who love him, who are called according to his purpose!
And that’s the mid-week memo.
Michael Kurtz
