Delivered
(The LORD says) "And call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you,
and you shall glorify Me." Psalm 50:15
Seven acres isn't a lot of ground ... usually.
Of course, when it's dark, and you're all alone, and you've never been on those
seven acres before, that property can get very big.
That was the situation in which a father, mother and three-week-old baby found
themselves when the sun went down and they were lost in the middle of the
Headless Horseman corn maze at Connors Farm.
Not used to such a situation, the mother, in a panic, called 911. For almost
seven and a half minutes the dispatcher talked to the husband and wife. He
assured them that help was on the way and they calmed down. Finally, an officer
reached them and they were brought to safety.
Since that story hit the news the media has had a field day. They revealed the
family's name, that the parents and child were only a few yards away from the
road, that the owners of the maze had all kinds of signs to help people get out,
and that the family could have walked through the corn rows to get their
bearings.
All of which is true and logical and sensible unless it's dark and you're all
alone and you're, well, you get the idea.
Now there may be people in this world who have managed to avoid all forms of
trouble. If, however, you are an individual who has seen difficulties and more
than your fair share of trouble, the words of the Lord as recorded by the
psalmist are incredibly comforting.
In Psalm 50 the Lord says, "Call upon Me in the day of trouble." Did you notice
the Lord didn't say that there was no such thing as trouble; nor did He deny
that troubles can cause a person legitimate concerns.
No, trouble is real, but so is God's love. Our passage assures us that when your
trouble comes -- whatever trouble that might be -- He will be there to deliver
us.
For a number of reasons, no one should be surprised at the Lord's promise.
First, as the Creator of all that is, the Lord is far greater, far more powerful
than any trouble this world can produce.
Second, in the Person of His Son, our Savior, the Lord has already shown He is
committed to fixing that which was broken. So we might be forgiven, so He might
declare us innocent of wrongdoing the Lord Jesus took our place by perfectly
fulfilling all the divine laws, by resisting every temptation and by defeating
death.
Both logic and Scripture tell us that if the Son of God was sacrificed so we
could be delivered from our great enemies -- sin, death and devil -- then we can
also be sure the Lord will deal and deliver us from those lesser troubles as
well.
This pretty much explains that passage except for that last little bit, the part
about how after trouble has come and after the Lord has dealt with that trouble
He expects that we show a grateful heart: just like that family showed their
gratitude when the policeman delivered them from the maze.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, in this sinful world trouble is sure to come to us all.
When that happens, may we place ourselves into Your hands for deliverance. This
I pray in the Name of Him who is the cause for my faith. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Pastor Ken Klaus
Lutheran Hour Ministries http://www.lhm.org/
all rights reserved; not to be duplicated without permission.