July 25th, 2022
Scripture
Devotion
In this world we have and will have troubles. King David says even the righteous person faces many troubles. And he would know, for he was a righteous man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14), and he faced many of them. Although we face troubles of all kinds, we may take comfort in the conviction that the Lord rescues us from them all.
How does God rescue us from them all?
First of all, God may rescue us by totally delivering us from our troubles in the here and now. The Bible is full of examples of the people of God being rescued from their troubles. Although Abraham and Sarah could not have children, God gave them a child in their old age (Genesis 21:1-7). When the Israelites were stuck between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army, God parted the sea and let them cross on dry land (Exodus 14). When the Apostle Peter was in prison, the Lord sent an angel to free him (Acts 12:1-19).
Secondly, there is a sense in which God rescues us from our troubles by turning them from something that was meant by Satan to destroy us into something that actually benefits us. The Apostle Paul says, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them” (Romans 8:28). God uses the troubles of Satan to make us more and more like Jesus (Romans 8:29). With those in Christ, trouble loses its significance as a destructive force, for “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
Finally, God ultimately rescues us from our troubles in the next life. Sometimes the sick die, sometimes the lives of the persecuted are sacrificed, and sometimes, like the Apostle Paul, we live with a “thorn in the flesh” for all of our lives (2 Corinthians 12:7). If our faith does not see its breakthrough in this life, however, it will see it in the next life (Revelation 21:4).
Satan is the trouble-maker. His evil and illegitimate regime functions like a parasite within God’s very good earthly creation. That’s why we see troubles of many kinds.
Take heart, however, for the Lord comes to our rescue each time.
Inspirational Image of the Day