PRAISING GOD FOR DELIVERANCE

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.

You have made the city a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin, the foreigners’ stronghold a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.

Therefore strong peoples will honor You; cities of ruthless nations will revere You. You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall and like the heat of the desert.

You silence the uproar of foreigners; as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is stilled.

Isaiah 25:1-5

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Between chapters 14 and 23 of Isaiah, we read of a series of judgments that came from God on different nations and cities which of interest included Jerusalem and His chosen people in Israel. Outside of the Israelites, the rest of those who experienced God’s penalties were considered their enemies but even more so, enemies of God Himself through their sinful worshipping of false gods and idols.

As we begin to read the opening verses of Isaiah, Chapter 25, we find the people of Israel giving praise for the way God delivered them from their opponents and provided them safety in times of trouble. Indeed, as we consider all the many ways we should be praising God each and every day, the matter of deliverance should always be first and foremost on our minds. For our God is always in the deliverance business and here are just a few ways we receive this special gift:

Have you recently reconciled a relationship with a spouse, a partner, a co-worker, a friend, or someone you considered an enemy?

Praise God for the deliverance from acrimony, resentment, and hostility into a place of peace, reconciliation, and love.

Have you found yourself coming out of a tough financial situation and liberated from a debt or other burden you may have been under?

Praise God for deliverance from hardship and for providing the resources or wisdom required to resolve your financial problem.

Have you been ill and gotten better? Have you been injured in some way and recovered from your brokenness, whether physical or emotional? Do you suffer from some long term affliction that has been in remission, leaving you to live a somewhat normal life?

Praise God from deliverance from sickness or injury, giving thanks that He is Your Great Physician, the One who can do all things to include transforming and healing our bodies, minds, and souls.

Have you needed deliverance in the form of protection or shelter from the storms of life?

Give thanks that you can always find shelter and refuge from the Lord God Almighty, a guard and shield unlike any found here on earth.

Have you needed deliverance from sin and death?

Give praise always that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son Jesus as a ransom to pay the price for our transgressions so that we might not perish but rather experience life eternal (John 3:16).

In the end translation, we all have something we either have been delivered from or need deliverance from. Thanks be to God that in every and all instances we can know and trust He will deliver us if we just call on Him. No one else in our life can do what He can for us. So as we move toward a new year, let us make prayers of praise for the deliverance we have received (and are yet to receive) a priority as we turn to the One who hears and answers our every heart’s cry.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com