Who We Are Waiting For: The Rescuer

We all need to be rescued from something.  I need to be rescued from gluttonous eating and checking my phone while I'm with someone else. Last month I was not able to swallow or talk well, so I needed to be rescued from being malnourished and the limitations of myasthenia gravis.

My children need to be rescued from the agony of defeat when playing a family game.

  

My friend needs to be rescued from the fear of her son possibly having a bad infection. 

I have many, many friends who need to be rescued from anxiety, self-consciousness, and fear. 

The list can go on, I'm sure you can relate to something you need to be rescued from. 

We have a Rescuer. 

This sermon by Jared Mellinger is my initial source for our Lord being our rescuer. Jared highlights the excerpt from Acts 12 where Peter was rescued from prison; "and the chains fell off his hands" while he was basically sleepwalking.

So, I'm not literally in prison, but as I go about my day, my body and mind have limitations. We all do, and this is a good, yet trapping theory.  Good, in that we need to build a habit of reliance on the Lord's infinite power to give us all understanding and strength we need, and trapping, in that we have to get over our pride and ask Him for help.  

Here's an example in parenting:   

This is concert week, and we have our children in Suzuki Piano and string lessons. Both children are working on Jingle Bells for their concert this weekend. David, 5, grunted in frustration, "I'm asking God to help me play the right notes and it's just not happening!!" Shoulders slumped, defeat. Banging the keys. Aware of his limit. Consumed with frustration, bordering on head-hitting anger.

David, you just sat down! You can do this! You are five years old, so they playing it 5 times, and see how it goes by the fifth time. Or you can just give up. But I'd love to hear it after the 5 times. God can help you calm down and practice it, not magically 'poof' you into playing the right notes!" I cheered him on and held up 5 fingers until all the times were played. 

He did it! He was rescued from the anger, the agony of his limit, and the daunting idea of practicing.

So he was rescued from his pride of not being able to do it right away and we know from Proverb 16:18, Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

He was rescued from anger, and we know from the Proverb 27:4, "anger is overwhelming" and does not produce the righteousness of God. 

He was rescued from a false view of God that he can be called upon, like a fairy god mother, to zap the right notes into his fingers. He is [momentarily] free of the idea that you can sloth around doing nothing, and then expect to produce something great. Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger. Proverbs 19:15

Chris Tomlin has an apt rendition of John Newton's Amazing Grace, I'd meditate on the chorus: "my chains are gone, I've been set free."

 

So, who are you waiting for? 

 Yourself to buck up and get it right?

A fairy god mother to just make it all go away and poof you into a fancy carriage?

Or a super powerful Rescuer who can save you from your daily battles with pride, anger, gluttony, chains, oppression, anxiety and an infinite list shackles. 

"And the chains fell off his hands." Yours can, too.