DELIVERANCE 4 ALL
It’s humbling to watch God link pieces of my life story together at unexpected times & in surprising ways. In truth, our lives are much like diligently assembling a large puzzle, a little here… a little there…identifying colors, shapes & borders that fit together. Initially, the puzzle doesn’t make much sense in that it rarely looks like the finished picture, while in process. But over time, as more & more sections are connected, you begin to see the completed whole more clearly.
A few years ago, I was given a 1000-piece tea pot puzzle for Mother’s Day. I lost count of the hours poured into the completion of this creation, a compilation of 20 multi-colored pots paying tribute to past “tea times” with the grands. It was also in honor of my Grandma Grace who taught me the fine art of Dutch cookie “dunking” & proper “slurping” from a teacup saucer. I recall a total of 7 people dabbling in the puzzle assembly over the course of 2 years. Aided by a large puzzle mat, we sorted patterns & colors in Ziploc bags to lessen the impending confusion. Even though distinctly unique, the teapots had a lot of similarities not initially seen in the individual pieces. Our cooperative efforts made the discovery process more fun, & we’d often raise our hands while exclaiming, “I got it!” Working together made the beauty of the finished product even more satisfying! This reminds me of the discoveries in relationship building. It creates hunger for more. The longer you engage, the more clarity you see & the more you understand the whole person. We framed that teapot puzzle & a few years later, the 1000-piece teacup counterpart came to rest on an adjacent wall.
My personal puzzle pieces rarely look put together. I often think I have f something figured out, only to discover my conclusion doesn’t fit (work) when the unexpected requires that I get out of my comfort zone. It wasn’t the answer that I assumed God wanted. My puzzle building attempts can look surprisingly disorderly because life isn’t just a process of checking off boxes. Life isn’t that predictable. And I’m not that smart. It makes me smile when a past note, a scripture, or a gift resurfaces, only to be the exact answer I need in the present. God’s timely, but often unconventional, teaching style protects me & keeps me humble before Him. The older I get, the more I know that I don’t know much! In His sovereignty, He allows a spiritual lesson redo from long ago that is applicable to the day I’m in. And another of my life puzzle pieces slides into place…in a way I didn’t previously understand. God’s loving discipline & faithfulness have always stood the test of time. They are guardrails around my heart.
I have a statuette of a praying woman above my desk. Steve gave it to me years ago so it’s nothing new in the physical sense. But one day I felt lead to stop & reread the verse engraved on it. (Psalm 34:4) I quickly grabbed my Bible to read the chapter in its entirety. Here was yet another puzzle piece, linking 2 seasons of life & reinforcing the same lessons in different circumstances.
In my Bible, the heading for Psalm 34 is “The Lord a Provider & Deliverer,” a perfect message for me that day. There are many encouragements to be gleaned from that passage but God’s message for me, specifically, was regarding His all-encompassing power. “I sought the Lord, & He answered me, & delivered me from ALL my fears(vs4)…this poor man cried & the Lord heard him, & saved him from ALL his troubles(vs6)…O fear the Lord, you His saints, for to those who fear Him, there is no want.(vs9) COME…LISTEN…I WILL TEACH YOU the fear of the Lord(vs11)…The righteous cry & the Lord hears, & delivers them out of ALL their troubles(vs17)…Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them ALL(vs19)…the Lord redeems the soul of His servants; & none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.”
Let me do a quick, but obvious, recap here. ALL fears, ALL troubles, ALL afflictions. No want & no condemnation. Now that’s a lot of ALL! Nothingis left out. What do you struggle with that doesn’t identify as fear, trouble or affliction? As I see it, the concerns in all 7 areas of life fit into one, or more, of those ALL categories…marriage, parenting, financial, psychological, physical, spiritual & social. We are bombarded with lies by the world, our flesh & by the enemy of our souls. The message that plagues us is that we don’t measure up. We aren’t enough…for anything or anyone. Fears, troubles & afflictions don’t play favorites. They show no regard for race, riches, or rank. Everyone deals with some form of perceived inequality, almost daily, if we are honest.
I couldn’t help but think of the Pledge of Allegiance, particularly the phrase “with liberty & justice for all.” Fighting for perceived rights is ultimately the source of most conflicts, in any area of life. It’s what we fight for in an argument. It’s the foundation of the social justice movement. But ironically, in ALL these situations, we end up more concerned about our personal liberty & justice, at the expense of someone else’s. Humanly speaking, we don’t have what it takes to resolve the ALLs in our lives because we’re born needy people. And as noble as everyone’s intentions may be, we can’t save ourselves from ourselves. Our best human efforts will always come up short.
The good news is-- there is a Perfect Mediator who IS ENOUGH. “For there is one God & one mediator also between God & men, the man Christ Jesus who gave Himself as a ransom for ALL…” (I Tim 2:5 & 6a) Only Jesus Christ can DELIVER US ALL-- from ALL our fears, from ALL our troubles & from ALL our afflictions. Our Creator isn’t prejudiced. He doesn’t accept bribes to include, or exclude, certain groups. However, He is uncompromising about His provisional Way, Truth & Life that leads to salvation. Jesus Christ is the only ONE who offers deliverance 4 ALL.“But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, & broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, & might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by having put to death the enmity.” (Ephesians 2:13-16)
The answer to division in relationship is a change of heart…first, & foremost, between us & the Lord. God moves/works from the inside out in the completion of our “life puzzles.” When you sense the conviction of the Holy Spirit (piece #1) & see that nothing good dwells in you- in contrast to God’s holiness (piece #2), the choice is then yours to agree with His assessment. In God’s kindness, He leads us to repentance (piece #3).
There must be a wanting for radical change in the trajectory of your personal puzzle assembly. This requires dying to your way & accepting God’s Way, God’s Truth, & God’s Life—fulfilled & completed only by receiving the person of Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit (piece #4).
As our Creator, the Lord God Almighty has more than adequately demonstrated that He is the Master Puzzle Designer. We can try, in our own strength, to piece our lives together in the way in which we want to present ourselves. OR we can submit the messes, stresses & heartaches to the Maker of our personal puzzle. As we yield to His Lordship & seek His will above our own, we experience an inner peace & rest that is impossible to achieve through human effort. He lovingly gathers the shattered pieces of a submitted life, traumatized by fear, trouble & affliction. And we are transformed, by His doing & design, into a new & beautiful, completely whole puzzle.
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it topass.”(I Thessalonians 5: 23-24) Thanks be to God, & AMEN!
Forgive © | Stephen Phinney | Vocalist Elijah Musika:
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