Press the arrow to listen to Hillsong Church sing “I Will Run to You” as you read today’s devotion about God’s deliverance.
Scripture The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm. Exodus 14:14
Observation
“Quick, do nothing!” That was God’s command to his people as they bit their fingernails down to the quick. The dust clouds of enemy chariots were on the horizon. The sea glistened in front of them. It was one day that they wished that they were not at the beach.
“Don’t just do something, stand there!” That was God’s instruction to his people. Their hearts were beating, their palms were sweaty and their mouths were dry. If they would stay steady longer than seemed reasonable, they would be surprised.
Application
The other day Pastor Brady Boyd at New Life Church asked us to reflect on the most harrowing days of our lives. He then asked us a follow up question: what has happened since then to resolve that problem? We were all able to think of many examples of God’s deliverance. We need eyes to see through our problems to the hope of the other side. Instead of looking at Pharaoh and his armies behind us we should imagine the victory dance on the far shore. The source of this hope is meditation on God’s persistent faithfulness over all of our life journey. He has delivered us and he will yet deliver us.
Prayer Father, help me to live looking backward at your goodness so that I can walk forward into your abundance. Amen.
Scripture As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand. The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, “A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.†But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed. The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn’t harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god. Acts 28:3-6
Application
This is like a scene from the opening of the ABC TV show Lost. Paul, along with 275 other passengers, had been washed up on shore of an island. The wind is cold, and so Paul led an impromptu effort to build a bonfire. Paul could have sat on the sand, but instead he worked to serve others. While in the act of public good, he was bitten by a snake. Snake bite was nothing compared to the lashing of wagging tongues.
Public opinion is a viper ready to bite the hand that is serving the public good. Bystanders live by the rule that bad things happen to bad people and that good things happen to good people. Satan was there sharpening their words, for the people chose the one word that would have stung Paul most. They called him a “murderer”. That word smarted, for the one time hunter of Christians had been forgiven and transformed by Christ to become a church planter. The enemy of our souls has a way of reminding us of what God has forgotten about us.
What happened next revealed the character of Paul. He could have let the venom of accusation paralyze him. When we are false accused life can slow into numb disbelief and replay of past memories. Paul, however, did nothing of the sort. He shook off the snake and went on with his business.
I read in the news this week that Robert Irwin, the 4-year-old son of the late Steve Irwin, was playing with a boa constrictor (obviously we are dealing with a different kind of family) and was struck by the serpent. His mother Terry was so proud of her son, because he was pleased to have had his first hit. He said, “I hope it wasn’t venomous.” The other assured her son that she would not let him play with poisonous snakes.” If a 4 year old can shake off a snake and move on, than we should as well and if a mother cares for her child then even more so the Lord cares for us.
Application
There are times that Satan will try to use spent ammunition to level us. Like Paul, we must make the choice not to wallow in pointless regrets, but to shake off the snake and to get on with our business for God. That choice to move past the opinion of others is something that God will honor. For Paul he protected him from the snake’s death serum. For us, if it is useful for his glory, God will vindicate us. Our responsibility is to shake off the snake, move on and leave the results with the Lord.
Prayer Father, help me not to listen to what you have forgotten. Help me to live in the now and not the then. And help me to move further than public criticism can imagine because you are leading my life. Amen.
Scripture Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge. Psalm 16:1
Observation
Why is it that the Lord chooses to take care of us in troubled times? For one reason only: simply because we have asked for help. The psalm singer is straightforward: he expects God to rescue him simply because he is ringing the bell at God’s house. That is reason enough.
It is a tradition amongst desert nomads of the Middle East to honor hospitality as the most treasured of gifts. The thirsty desert has forced them to show kindness to any wanderer in need. If a traveler says to a sheik, “I desire the rights of a guest in your tent” that Bedouin must take him in even if he has murdered his own brother. The Lord is our sultan and if we ask for help he has bound himself to grant it to us.
We make these requests of God in times of prayer. That is obvious enough. But there are other prayers we do not know we are even praying that the Lord listens to as well. When we have an idle conversation with a friend and we grumble against the Lord and question his ability to care for us, the Lord hears that. On the other hand, when we are talking with a friend who is skeptical or nervous of God’s ability to provide and we state our confidence in the Lord to care for us even when nothing is evident, the Lord hears that as if it were a prayer.
If we need proof that the Lord listens to our idle conversations, then turn to Malachai 3:14-18
“You have said, ‘What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins? From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them suffer no harm.’â€
Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.
“They will be my people,†says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child. Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.â€
Our private comments are public prayers to the Lord.
Application
So why do I doubt God’s ability to keep me safe and to bring me through to the other side? Because somehow I question if God is really enough, as if he were a blanket too short to cover the bed. We need to get lost in the enormity of the nature and character of God. In my Bible readings today is a passage where God tells Moses what his name is. God doesn’t give a word but a paragraph to state his name:
“Yahweh! The Lord!
The God of compassion and mercy!
I am slow to anger
and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.
I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.
But I do not excuse the guilty.
I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;
the entire family is affected—
even children in the third and fourth generations.†Exodus 34:6-7
We should not read this paragraph as individual words but as one complete word. This is the name and nature of God. When we come to the Lord for refuge we find a cavernous expanse large enough for us all all of our concerns. He is enough for us.
Prayer Father, in you I take refuge. Hear my prayers in private and in public and demonstrate your ability to save to reveal something of the enormity of your name. Amen.
I'm Phil McCallum, a husband, father and most of all one of the people Jesus loves. I'm privileged to serve Evergreen Community Church in Bothell, Washington as Senior Pastor where people love enough to believe "it's all about relationships." In 1982 I made a vow to read God's word daily and apply it to life. Each day I write out my reflections. Some days I post those on my blog. It's a little personal but it's my hope it will stir you to go deeper still. Learn how I do my devotions. These are my thoughts and not necessarily those of the ministry I serve. By the way check out the computer study Bible Glo. I highly recommend it.
