Deliver Me

Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Your name; the righteous shall surround me, for You shall deal bountifully with me. 

Psalm 142:6-7 

We are not our own saviors. So much of what we experience in life is out of our control. David articulated some of what he was experiencing. Because Saul, the king, was pursuing him he had become a fugitive, forced to hide in a cave. Discontented souls surrounded him, some of whom he could not trust not to turn on him. His enemies plotted against him. He felt rejected, isolated, and utterly alone. Where would he find hope and help? He found it in God. His hope was in the only One Who could deliver him and bring him out of the prison of his circumstances. Because his understanding was evangelical, we can say his hope was in Christ. He had said of Christ, ‘You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.’ All the evil surrounding him was no match for Christ, his Shepherd. What was true for David is true for us. We cannot change the behavior of evil people who plot against us. We cannot control circumstances which adversely affect us because other forces have brought them to be. Where shall we find hope and help? We find it in Christ. He is Our Shepherd. He delivers as no one else can. What the arm of flesh cannot do, He can do and does for the sake of those who call upon Him. Our cry to Him is, ‘Deliver me.’  

Our Gracious God and our Savior, 
we rejoice that You are greater than our enemies. 
We praise You, that in our most desperate hours 
we can call upon You, and You will deliver us. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning