Deliverance

November 25, 2015

Devotions:

        “Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.”  ‭Psalms‬ ‭107:17-22‬ ‭KJV‬‬

        This is a great psalm.  Here it tells not only that there are physical conquences for walking in sin but if in the midst of the results of our rebellion, we cry out to the Lord, He will deliver us. He is compassionate and merciful.  The results is that we should praise the Lord for His goodness and wornderful works to the children of men.  To truly receive God's deliverance we must express thankfulness and praise from the heart for His goodness and wornderful works to the children of men. 

        If God so delivers the rebellious and the trangressors who were afflicted because of their iniquities, how much more shouls we not expect God to deliver we who are trying to walk in God's ways.  We must also cry out to Him in our afflictions knowing that we do not walk perfectly.  God's mercy and grace are there for us.

        The psalmist says that we are to sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving.  A sacrifice of thanksgiving is giving thanks in the face of adversity.  Anyone can give thanks when things are going well, that is no sacrifice.  When we give thanks when we are in the midst of trouble becasue we know that our God will hear our call and answer and deliver us, that is a sacrifice.  We do not feel like giving thanks and declaring His works with rejoicing because we have not seen the deliverance yet in the natural but we have seen it by faith and it is just as assuredly ours.