“We don’t want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn’t think we were going to make it. We felt like we’d been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he’s the God who raises the dead! And he did it, rescued us from certain doom. And he’ll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need rescuing. You and your prayers are part of the rescue operation—I don’t want you in the dark about that either. I can see your faces even now, lifted in praise for God’s deliverance of us, a rescue in which your prayers played such a crucial part.” 2 Corinthians 1:8-11 MSG
Have you ever gotten to this place before? “If God doesn’t show up BIG-TIME, I am doomed. I’m at my wits end. I cannot figure it out. There’s nothing more I can do.”
And then those two favorite words rescue your thinking…”but God!” Yes, my circumstances may look unconquerable, but “I am more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ my Lord.” Romans 8:37
When there is no one and nowhere else to turn…look up! God has gone before you, has your back, covers you on all sides…and is “fighting FOR you; you only need to be still.” Exodus 14:14
And there’s the problem…being still. Trusting your own strength and wits, to get out of “whatever”, is NOT what God intends. That will cause you to be caught in an eddy current of life, going round and round, thinking there is no hope of popping up and floating down the stream.
But, when God is all you have…God is all you need. You begin to focus on Him, the only One who can see the whole winding, rapids filled river of life. He wants you to recklessly abandon your life to Him, instead of paddling aimlessly, so He can lift you out of your endless, vicious circle and set you on your course to victory!
How does He do that? Remember, He’s the God who raises the dead! And He will rescue you from doom! It’s a matter of trust. Trusting in your own wits? Or trusting in the One who sees the end from the beginning…and can do the impossible? (Ah, that’s a no-brainer.)
Plus, it’s not a one-time rescue! God will rescue you every time you need rescuing, IF you let Him. Otherwise, you’ll be caught in that old eddy current of life again, trying and trying to figure out how to get out of your new mess.
And all along this endless current, others are praying for you. A crucial part of God’s Rescue Mission. What a win-win! God’s deliverance through prayer. Like Paul, we can say, “As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened.”
